


the girl in blue and bronze

by patrocluseva



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Canon Compliant, Cedric Diggory Dies, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gryffindors Being Gryffindors, Hogwarts Inter-House Friendships, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I Wrote This While Listening to Hozier's Music, Minor Character Death, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Protective Fred Weasley, Romantic Friendship, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Top Fred Weasley, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 61,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27356263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patrocluseva/pseuds/patrocluseva
Summary: Alleta Blake was, and always has been, entirely average.She wasn't overly shy or confident, nor genius or imbecile.She had plenty of friends, despite not being well known.Her older sister had always garnered the attention.Alleta was fine how things were, happy, even.Until she met him.The two thought that perhaps they would make good friends upon their first encounter at the Sorting Ceremony, and yet, being sorted into separate houses led them astray.Alleta faded into the background, while Fred flourished in the spotlight, flirting and misbehaving. Him and George practically worshipped by those who appreciated the pranks.Neither ever made the effort to build a friendship. What was the point?Could there ever be anything more?
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45
Collections: Harry Potter Favs, fred weasley





	1. prologue

September 1st 1989

She was finally here. Her sorting ceremony.

One step in front of the other. That's all she would have to do. Keep her eyes forward and Do. Not. Trip.

Manageable.

11 years old and sitting in front of the entire school waiting for the decision that would determine her Hogwarts experience to be made. Pft. Easy.

Desperately doing her best to put herself at ease and rid the gradually increasing nerves, Alleta cast a long gaze around the hall and her new classmates. They had all been bunched together in waiting for Professor Mcgonagall to call up their names. She scanned the faces, searching for Cassiopeia; her older sister and third year Slytherin. Yet it was to no avail. Ugh, perfect.

Her attention wandered over to the interior of what she now knew to be the Great Hall and her breath hitched. It was everything Aurora had described and more. The ceiling had been bewitched to look like the starry night sky and lit candles hung from it on a sort of invisible sting. There was a loud chatter echoing the hall, accompanied with laughter and the occasional student singing. With her currently black robes touching the ground, Alleta allowed them to be used as almost a barrier of sorts, hugging them close, a dreamy smile plastered on her face. It really was magical. 

"Close your mouth or you'll catch flies." A snort caused her to flush and she looked toward the offender; a redheaded boy her age, standing beside another who was practically identical and both in robes similar to her own. "What's the matter? Never seen anything magical before? It's not all the grand, you get used to it after a while. Well, that is unless you find ways to keep the excitement going." He continued, offering up a cheeky looking grin. 

"We've already got a few plans sorted. They'll leave our names unforgettable. Just wait and see." The other one piped in, a matching grin spread across his face, one so contagious that Alleta couldn't help but return it. "I'm George Weasley by the way, and this is my twin brother, Fred." The boy beckoned to the one who had originally spoken. "I'm Alleta, Alleta Blake. My friends call me Allie." Her voice was quieter than she expected it to be, as she left it down to her inevitable nerves. "I'm a muggle-born actually, which is why, I assume, I looked a little starstruck" She had heard from her sister that there were some wizards who hated both muggle-borns and half-borns; anyone who wasn't one of them, a pureblood, was simply unworthy and dirty. Alleta could only hope these two weren't like that. What a terrible first experience that would be. 

"Wicked!" Fred exclaimed, exchanging an excited look with George. "Our dad is always going on about muggles and contraptions of sorts. Maybe you could show us some of your stuff at one point? We're purebloods, well, blood traitors depending on which way you look at it. But none of that stuff matters, especially not whe-" He was cut off from a rather cute rambling by Professor Mcgonagall beginning to call out names.

She knew that she would be one of the first ones up, due to her last name beginning with a 'B' which, in all honesty, she was grateful for. There would be far less anticipation and chance for her nerves to get the better of her. Having heard from Cassiopeia what the houses were like, she honestly wasn't sure as to where she would end up. Did she really have a defining quality? Alleta liked to think that people couldn't be categorised into one box or trait, but this wouldn't be the case here. She knew that many saw Slytherin as being cruel and all supporters of some evil wizard called Voldemort; truthfully, she had zoned out her sisters constant stories, so she wasn't entirely sure on the history.

Ravenclaws were the smart ones, Hufflepuffs were kind and loyal and Gryffindors were brave. She didn't feel as though she had enough life experience to be categorised or even know for herself where she would like to be placed. But perhaps the same house as Fred and George could be good. They seemed friendly enough. 

Before she could entirely comprehend what was being said, a sharp voice cut through her thoughts. 

"Blake, Alleta."

Inhaling sharply, the brunette threw a small smile at the twins, who threw her matching thumbs up, and made her way to the wooden stool in the centre of the stage? could that be described as a stage? It was a large step that led to the table all the professors sat at on some sort of podium and- nevermind. She was losing her train of thoughts. Focused. Stay focused. 

"Aha." An odd sort of voice filled her head once the hat was placed on it, causing her to jump nervously. Alleta blushed, ignoring the laughs at her sudden movement.

"You're a little oddball aren't you? I can't say you're a Gryffindor, no, no, not at all. Certainly not as reckless as one, you like your own little bubble. Slytherin perhaps? Ambition, dedication and.. a sister. Your sister is a Slytherin? okay, interesting, interesting. But no, perhaps not. You aren't quite sly enough." 

Her heart was racing and she found that she was digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands; both of them bunched up on the middle of her lap. Alleta looked over at the students and met the twin, Fred's eye. She wasn't entirely sure how she was able to distinguish, but upon closer inspection it was rather obvious. While George stood with his weight to his left side, Fred stood with it to the right plus his hair was definitely messier. Hastily breaking eye contact, she tuned back in to the Sorting Hat. She really had to contain her habit of losing focus. It was quite annoying.

"You would do well in both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw I believe. You're kind and loyal but.. I must admit you have both your head in the clouds and a thirst for answers. You have the ability to think of the least obvious answers and yes. Yes it is clear. You my dear would receive awe in...

Ravenclaw."

The sound of clapping erupted and hoots came from what she could only assume was the Ravenclaw table. Blue? She could work with that. It was one of her favourite colours. Hopping off the stool, she did an awkward skip jog to her table and took a seat at the very end, her gaze down; hating being the centre of attention for so long, in addition to the way her stomach was grumbling angrily for some food. Raising her deep blue eyes from her lap, Alleta squirmed under the feeling of someone's gaze on her, but she did her best to ignore it and pay attention to the ceremony. 

After a long while and many suppressed yawns, she heard a familiar name. "Fred Weasley." Straightening up in anticipation, the girl bit down on the inside of her cheek, crossing her fingers under the table. 

"Please be Ravenclaw. Please be Ravenclaw." She muttered a few times, quiet enough so not to be heard by her peers. Alleta wasn't entirely sure what it was about Fred that had captured her attention, but she rather liked it.

And yet, despite her constant murmurs, the hat barely touched his head before booming "Gryffindor." 

Her shoulders visibly sagged but, as he immediately turned to smile almost disappointingly at her, Alleta allowed herself a moment to nurture the spark of possible friendship between the two. However it was quickly distinguished when George was also sorted into Gryffindor and the two got surrounded by cheers and laughs; a table of much higher spirits than her own. 

Moving her gaze from them, Alleta pushed him to the back of her mind and plastered a smile on her face, audibly groaning as she reached over for a chicken drumstick. "So good." Gnawing on it, she received a few lighthearted and friendly laughs from the other new Ravenclaws, before being immersed into chatter.

Maybe she would do alright here after all.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	2. chapter one

September 15th, 1994

"Fuck. Wank. Bollocks." Alleta cursed under her breath, making a half arsed attempt at her tie. She always did this. She was always late. You'd think she would have learnt after 6 years that no, breakfast did not start at 9am rather than 8:30am. Or that no, your first lesson is never, god forbid, anywhere near you whereupon realising that you are actually late.

Of course not, that would be far too easy.

Her dark hair was knotted in waves down her back, her shirt was untucked and her tie was scruffy. It was nowhere near up to Snape's standards. Because of course, Potions was her first lesson. Despite being a Ravenclaw, Alleta was not, in fact, overly intelligent. Or at least, her smarts refused to come naturally. Truthfully, she had never been entirely sure why the sorting hat had placed her in Ravenclaw. Her head had always been slightly in the clouds and her attention span was not great, often losing herself to daydreams in class and then having to spend hours of her time catching up what she missed.

In all fairness, Alleta was quite gifted at deducing the least obvious outcome or answer to things, and she enjoyed puzzles. But while they were some of the stereotypical traits for her house, she was still doubtful.

Hurrying past multitudes of people and down steps upon steps on stone, she released a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of the Potions classroom up ahead. She had no idea of the precise time and could only hope she wasn't too obvious in her tardiness, despite the way detention was now inevitable. Wonderful.

Quietly opening the door, she slipped into the room, her eyes directly on her seat on the far left of second to closest to the back. Easy. Snape had his back to the class, the sound of instructions being written up in chalk made her cringe. She truly didn't believe she would ever get used to that sound. It was nail bitingly horrid.

"Miss Blake. How considerate of you to join us." The usual drawl to the professor's voice caused her to stop halfway to her seat, her face contorting in frustration. How did he always do that? How could he possibly know it was her without even turning to face in the direction?

"Professor." Alleta's tone was sheepish as she angled her body to face the front, trying her best to not acknowledge the smirks from her classmates. Despite not many of them actually knowing her name, they were all well aware of her late habit and found constant amusement in it, something that did not impress her in the slightest. Not the fact they didn't know her name, no that was perfectly alright, more so that at least once every couple days she was joked about once again.

And yet today, while waiting for Snape to finish writing up the board and address her, Alleta was aware of a pair of eyes on her and her heart stammered slightly. Averting her gaze from the front, she met them head on.

Fred Weasley.

At the eye contact, he almost instantly tensed and looked away, back down at his hands on the top of the parchment; no doubt it included prank ideas and new inventions rather than any actual work. Ignoring the disappointment and slight surprise stirring in her stomach, Alleta frowned, moving to run a hand through her hair, unknotting it.

She hadn't conversed with Fred since the third year; the last time purely because they were partners in Charm class. As they were two entirely different people who shared practically none of the same interests. Despite this, they had exchanged the occasional friendly greeting and he had never fully lost her interest; his pranks mischievous, borderline cocky attitude had, along with George's, had made them ridiculously popular with their year. Well, except the Slytherins. Unlike Alleta, the twins clearly believed all Slytherins to be evil due to a mutual hatred between the two houses.

It seemed to be the case that unlike Gryffindors, both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were able to get along rather well with some of the Slytherins; those who weren't blood prejudice. But the friendlier ones from their house simply never bothered to talk to those who were, sometimes rightly so, against them.

"10 points from Ravenclaw and detention tonight Miss Blake. You'll likely have company." Snape glared at her, clearly suggesting she should move to her seat; something she very quickly proceeded to do, not wanting another punishment. Before he then threw a pointed look at the Weasley twins, who snorted and exchanged eye rolls with one another. It was no secret that Professor Snape absolutely despised them.

Taking her seat beside one of her close friends, Jacob, she pulled out her parchment and feather quill. "Hey Allie, we're making Liquid Luck today, you don't need to take any notes." He whispered with a small smile as Snape finished off the instructions that she very clearly had not had the chance to read. Shaking her head and smiling, Alleta stood up to collect a cauldron and took a glance at the instructions on the chalkboard, squinting her eyes to decipher the handwriting.

1\. Add Ashwinder egg to a cauldron, then add horseradish and heat. 

2\. Juice a Squill bulb, add to the cauldron and stir vigorously. 

3\. Chop up anemone-like growth on the back of Murtlap, add to mixture and heat. 

4\. Add a dash of tincture of thyme and stir slowly. 

5\. Grind up Occamy eggshell and add to mixture.

6\. Stir slowly then heat the cauldron. 

7\. Add a sprinkle of powdered common rue. 

8\. Stir vigorously then heat the cauldron one last time. 

9\. Wave wand over potion in a figure of eight and say incantation 'Felixempra'

"Okay, I'll grab the Ashwinder egg, thyme, Squill bulb and Murtlap, while you pick up the rest?" She suggested, receiving a nod from Jacob as they parted to collect said ingredients. Alleta was rather proficient at Potions as well as enjoying them, which tended to be useful in staying out of Snape's bad side; not that he particularly had a good one.

Over in the ingredients section, she glanced back over at the board, taking a moment to memorise what she required. With her attention back to the jars on the shelved, she scanned each label, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail while doing so. Accidentally jabbing her elbow into someone's chest, Alleta winced, bringing her arms down and spinning around with an apologetic smile "Crap, sorry."

For the second time in 5 minutes she found that she was making eye contact with Fred and her cheeks flushed, mouth opening slightly. He offered a nonchalant shrug and smile, looking down at her. He stood around 6'3, yet with her being 5'8 the height difference wasn't too extreme. "Close your mouth or you'll catch flies." Fred's voice was teasing, referencing to their first conversation as he turned away and moved to collect his own ingredients.

Reaching up to grab the Murtlap, Alleta bit back a smile and rolled her eyes. She had never felt anything romantic toward the boy; something her two best friends highly doubted, but she had always hoped they may have ended up as good friends. He just seemed so happy all the time. As she moved on from the thoughts of their encounter, she gathered up the requirements, throwing a quick look over at her desk, only to find Jacob already stood, grinning at her, playfully tapping his wrist in a 'hurry up' motion.

"Sorry, sorry, I got caught up. Right, let's lay these out and get started. I'm going to tell you right now that I'm taking control." She winked at him, setting the ingredients down and, as the instructions stated, she cracked the Ashwinder egg into the cauldron, taking the horseradish from Jacob and placing the right amount of it in, waiting for him to turn up the heat. Having been Potions partners with him for the past 2 years, they had developed a steady rhythm; one where he was well aware that she could often be a control freak, especially when it came to the more challenging potions such as Liquid Luck, otherwise known as Felix Felicis.

As the two cracked on with the task, Jacob shot her a glance with a raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing you overslept again? Where was Amari?" He chuckled, referencing their other best friend and one of Alleta's 4 roommates.

"I'm assuming she tried to wake me, I'm not entirely sure, but she was gone when I finally came to. Then I spent a little too long staring at the ceiling and contemplating what my dream last night actually mean. Funny thing, I can't even remember it now." Her voice was light as she carefully measured out the ingredients, throwing him a grin. "It wasn't until maybe 20 minutes ago now did I actually make a move to get dressed and race here. I skipped breakfast." Pulling a face, Alleta's stomach growled rather loudly at just the right time. Thankfully, she wasn't the sort to get pissy if she missed a meal. Though the same certainly could not be said for Jacob.

"Amari really needs to learn that the only way to effectively get you up and out of bed is by pulling the duvet off and throwing cold water over your face. Then you'd have the incentive to get up on time, in order to avoid rocking up to class with wet hair."

"You're evil. Thank God you aren't allowed in the girls dormitory. I dread to imagine the different ways you would get me up." Alleta scrunched her nose up, about to add something else when there was a loud Boom!

Immediately snapping her gaze to the far side of the classroom, both Alleta and Jacob snorted at the sight before them.

Snape was standing by the twins, his eyes narrowed as clouds of pink powder faded out of sight, leaving the top half of his robes and face covered in it. It was certainly one of the their milder pranks, but amusing nonetheless.

"50 points each from Gryffindor and you will be joining Miss Blake over there in detention this evening. Understood?" The professor snarled, ignoring both the satisfied smirks on Fred and George's faces and the groans from the surrounding Gryffindors who, granted, enjoyed the pranks as much as the rest of them, but constantly grew frustrated at the amount of points lost.

Opening her mouth to share a remark with Jacob, Alleta stopped momentarily, only to see Fred glance over at her, looking away the moment she caught him. She shook it off and returned to the making of her potion for the rest of the lesson, occasionally sharing a quiet joke with her partner at the sight of Snape in the corner of the room brushing his robes down.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	3. chapter two

September 15th, 1994

Potions class ended not too soon after the incident with Snape and Alleta's felix felicis turned out to be competent but not quite perfect; something she would gladly accept.

Walking toward the library for their free period, Alleta and Jacob were having a conversation about whether or not they could get away without completing the assigned potions essay when someone came bounding up behind them. "Allie's awake? The world must be ending." 

Their other best friend Amari had burst between them, an arm wrapped around each of their shoulders as she grinned over at Alleta. "No thanks to you. I was late to potions." Laughing, she pulled a face and shook her head "She has a detention tonight with the Weasley twins. They made some sort of explosion and now Snape is struggling to rid himself of powdered pink robes." Jacob met Amari's expression with a matching one; smirking and a quirked eyebrow, before the both looked to the left at Alleta, who was now studiously staring at the stone floor while they walked.

"I cannot believe the two of you still think i have a thing for Fred. We've barely even spoken to each other. Get a grip." She rolled her eyes and nudged her playfully, resting her head against her friend's shoulder with a groan. "Besides, he's probably an asshole. Nobody is that confident without being a complete dick." 

"Okay I suppose that's true. Both Fred and George are rather in love with themselves." Amari laughed in agreement, immediately being shushed upon arrival at the library. Not surprising, the librarian could be an old hag sometimes and had always disliked Amari for being quite rowdy and giggly at times.

"Oh! Did you see Fleur today? I place all my bets on her winning the Triwizard Tournament. She is, to be frank, everything i have ever wanted to be, I mean wow. Just wow."

As they took a seat towards the back and between shelves with the book listings for plants, Alleta grinned hearing her two friends discuss the complete flawlessness of the Beauxbatons champion. This was seemingly a new habit of theirs; losing themselves in rants over how much they wanted to be like or be with some of the foreign students. It certainly wasn't something she would ever disagree with. They truly were out there putting Hogwarts students to shame.

"What's the name of the girl she's always with? I would kill to look like her." Chiming in while she stood up to grab a book for potions from the shelf, Alleta smiled absentmindedly to herself while they burst into another conversation, debating whether her name was Heather or Lucille. She didn't believe it to be either but listening to them was amusing.

With a sigh, she moved around and onto the other side of the shelves, trailing her finger along the spines and crouching down while searching. "Ouch." Alleta grumbled as somebody walked into her and accidentally kicked her side, knocking her down as they stumbled forwards to in an attempt to steady themselves. 

"Shit, are you alright?" They asked with a sheepish laugh, offering their hand to help her up. Grimacing, Allie nodded with a slight grunt of acknowledgement as she stood with her hand clutched in the offenders. "Sorry, that was probably my fault, I shouldn't have been on the ground." She shrugged, only just meeting their eyes.

"Cedric? Hi! It's been ages, oh god sorry, I haven't spoken to you since the champion selection, congratulations by the way! I'm rooting for you to win, though let's keep that a secret. Both my friends want Fleur, though I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to tell you that. You nervous?" Ending her slight ramble, she cringed inwardly, almost immediately dropping his hand. 

The two had dated for about 10 months last year before calling it quits just before the summer as they didn't feel capable of doing the long distance thing. So really, their breakup was around 2 months ago and they hadn't exactly had the chance to clear the air since.

Chuckling, Cedric smiled down at her and shook his head. "No it's quite alright, I've been busy too and from what I've seen we only have Transfiguration together this year. So neither of us have really had the chance." He shrugged, crouching down and grabbing the books the two of them had knocked over. 

"And blimey I've not really thought about it yet. The first task is still a couple months away but yes, I suppose so." The Hufflepuff offered a nonchalant grin, accompanied by a wink and he leaned in slightly "Though I'll admit to being rather nervous but I'm not worried. I've got this in the bag. Just look at me."

Alleta snorted and shook her head, appreciating his confidence. It was clear he remembered the ways in which she would stress at the thought of danger. "Oh believe me, I know, but maybe it'd be worth me bringing down your ego a little. It seems you might be deserving of it." She teased, thankful that there wasn't any awkwardness between the two; it seemed they may be able to maintain the friendship between them.

"Besides, you don't even know what the tasks will be.." Trailing off, she folded her arms against her chest and glanced back up at him, making eye contact. "You'll be alright Ced, and you know that if you need help with solving anything, I'm here, right?" Alleta offered a small smile, taken aback when he pulled her into a tight hug.

Sighing quietly, she moved to wrap her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you Allie. It means alot." Cedric whispered, pulling back and plastering a grin over his expression. "Now come on, let's go for a walk and catch up." Hesitating only slightly, Alleta relented and rolled her eyes, grinning up at him. "Only you can get me to ditch homework, wait here."

Turning back to walk to her table, she wore a sheepish smile as she approached Amari and Jacob. "I've got to go so uhm.. bye?" Gathering her things in an attempt to leave before they could ask questions, she froze at the sound of Jacob. "Who could possibly be more important than the two of us?" 

"Well you see.." She started, moving to rub the back of her neck, under the ponytail. "I bumped into Cedric and-" 

"Allie!" Amari squealed, shutting her mouth right after, looking around for the librarian. Upon realising she was fine, she lent back in her chair with an amused expression. "So much for Weasley. You couldn't stay away Diggory for less than 2 weeks being back at school. Longer than I expected so good on you."

Flushing, she shook her head and reached over, swatting her arm and laughing. "It's not like that. We were friends before we dated and we're just going for a walk to catch up. Leave off." Her tone was playful and her words only made both Jacob and Amari exchange a conspiratorial glance. 

"Would both of you just stay out of my love life, however non existent or thriving you think it may be. Now goodbye." Ruffling Jacobs hair, much to his protests, she walked off and came face to face with Cedric.

"Hey."

The both of them said at the same time, before laughing awkwardly and starting to move out of the library. Clutching the leather handle of her bag, Alleta adjusted her positioning so that she stood at a good enough distance from him in order to avoid any accidental bumping into each other, but close enough so it wouldn't look weird.

"How was your summer? And your father, is he doing alright?" Her tone was purely curious as her and Amos, his dad, got on well. She had gone to stay with Cedric for a week over the Christmas holidays last year and was able to get to know his family. He had always loved that she had his dads approval. 

"Dad's great actually, thanks. Though he was quite shaken up after the Quidditch world cup happened. Did you end up going to that? I can't remember if we spoke about it." 

"No, muggle family and all I didn't know how to get tickets, besides I was never massively desperate to go. But bloody hell I completely forgot you went to that, what was it like? I've only heard bits of it from Amari." Her brow furrowed and she bit down on her lower lip. There had been horror stories circulating the school when she had returned.

The death eaters had attacked and burned the campsite to the ground, the dark mark being found and pictured in the sky. It unnerved her. What if it meant something about you-know-who was about to happen? She wasn't quite sure how they would manage to defeat him. Besides Harry Potter, of course. He seemed to have more lives than a cat or just an extremely good stroke of luck when it came to avoiding death. 

"I'll admit, it was terrifying. I couldn't find dad until we managed to get back to the portkey, even then it took around an hour and a half to find it. Once we got there and were reunited with the Weasleys, we went with them." Cedric paused to explain briefly so she wasn't so confused. 

"But only Molly, Ginny and the twins were there. It turns out that Harry disappeared in the crowds so Arthur, Ron and Hermione had to go out looking for him. Nobody admitted it but from the looks on their faces I think we all thought there was the possibility that Potter was dead."

His admission struck her, causing her to pause her steps momentarily before rushing forward to keep up with him. "It sounds stupid but I suppose it never occurred to me that people I knew were at risk there. That you could have died." Her mind unwillingly wandered off to Fred Weasley but when it came to him her thoughts tended to scramble.

"I'm just thankful you weren't there Al. Selfish as it were, I would have been too stressed about you to be able to even give anyone else a piece of mind." Cedric's words were quiet but she heard them. In acknowledgement, Alleta moved slightly closer, taking his hand in hers and giving it a light squeeze, only to drop it immediately after. 

While the reality of their breakup would hit her at times, she knew it was for the best. They certainly wouldn't have lasted over summer and it saved them plenty of heartache. But it was hard, clearly for the both of them, to drop old habits.

The two walked in a comfortable silence for a while, until they reached the black lake and a sudden flash of red caught the corner of her eye.

"Oi, Diggory! Lucky bastard." 

To her surprise, Fred and George approached them both with matching, ear-splitting grins. She often forgot that the two got on rather well with her ex, as Cedric was as well known as them and, reflecting on it now, she noticed they had very similar personality traits. Her mind wandered back to the way in which she had noticed Cedric taking the piss out of them for being unable to enter their names in the Tournament, especially after the incident with the twins, the ageing potion and sudden growth of greying hair and a beard.

"Shove off Weasley. You wouldn't have been chosen by the cup anyway, get a grip." He smirked over at George, who been the one to speak.

They all stopped under a rather large tree and, while Fred leaned against it; one leg propped up on the trunk with his arms folded against his chest, George and Cedric stood straight and beside each other, while Alleta stood a little behind Cedric, though she was essentially next to Fred. Which wasn't ideal, considering she was doing her best to ignore his gaze on her while the other two conversed in a mutual jokey piss take, kind of way.

"Allie, right?" 

The voice was a slight shock to her system, but she schooled her expression into a neutral smile as she angled her head to look over at Fred.

"Yeah, and you're Fred Weasley?" Her tone managed to hide away the fact that she had pathetically been wanting to be his friend since first year upon their very first conversation.

"Well of course, but you already knew that." He shot her a teasing grin, moving closer and nudging her shoulder.

In an attempt not to notice the way Cedric's attention would dart over at them every now and then, Alleta rolled her eyes. "Cocky much." She looked straight ahead, a playful smile tugging at the sides of her lips.

"If you say so. It's not like we've known each other since we were 11 but alright." He laughed lightheartedly.

"Known of each other. There's a difference. Sorry, I'll try not to be pedantic. Ced used to tease me about that habit relentlessly. It grew rather tiresome." In all honesty, she wasn't too sure why she felt the need to bring Cedric up, but it was too late now.

"Huh. Key words there were that he 'used to tease you'" Fred's voice was still playful and she glanced over, tilting her head out of curiousity.

"Well you see, Allie, I believe you and I could be great friends. And from now on, I will tease you and take the piss with every waking moment. You've quite frankly no choice in the matter. In return, you may do the same to me. Because I know for a fact you can tell Georgie and I apart; something I'm not entirely is possible, but either way, you wouldn't say anything meant for me to George."

Releasing a short and sudden laugh of surprise, Alleta turned to shoot him a look of pure disbelief and amusement, before he was beckoned by his brother. "C'mon Freddie boo, we've got shit to get done."

"See in you detention Blake." He winked and jogged off backwards, saluting her playfully.

Alleta was left leaning against the tree with a grin of simple shock and Cedric laughed, moving to sit down with his back against it, pulling her down lightly beside him.

"They're real characters aren't they?" Ced shook his head, smiling.

"That they are." She nodded and the two began to chat about their summer and completely aimless things until she checked her watch and they had to rush off to their next class. 

"You made me late! This is the second time already!" Alleta laughed, rushing off with him beside her,

"Calm down Al, it's only Mad Eye, we're fine."

Shaking her head with laughter, the two ran off to class, Alleta not wanting another detention.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	4. chapter three

September 15th, 1994

The day passed in almost a blur. Class after class, Alleta grew tired and the knowledge that she still had the detention with Snape was only worsening her mood. She had never been somebody who handled being tired particularly well, but by this point in their friendship, both Amari and Jacob knew that the best way to keep her happy and docile was to not leave her alone with her own thoughts for too long.

"62.. 63.. 64- No stop. This is ridiculous I will not count all of my bloody peas. I'm not entirely sure why I entertained the idea for so long." Narrowing her eyes across the table in the great hall, the brunette twitched her lips, restraining a smile from the look on their faces. 

"Oh come on Allie, don't be a bore."

"Yeah! How could anybody not want to count individual peas? It's absurd you would even remotely suggest otherwise. I'm hurt."

"It's the most riveting activity. I tried it the other night at dinner and wow. goosebumps. complete and utter goosebumps.

"I hate you." A laugh escaped and she took a sip of the glass of water, having another mouthful of chicken. "I hate Snape more." Having never been a particularly gracious eater, Alleta didn't wait to finish the food before speaking again. "I mean, a detention? After dinner? Unbelievable." Her face twisted up as she swallowed it, swigging the water, much to Amari's amusement. Her two friends had grown used to it and it didn't phase them.

"In all fairness, you were a good half hour late." Jacob chuckled, closely followed with a grin upon receiving a withering stare from her. "Let me have my moment." Her voice was a slight grumble, but she found that it was a struggle to hide the enjoyment on her expression. "You two are ridiculous. I'm off. Can't be late again." 

Grabbing a potato from her plate, she stood quickly, throwing them both a wink and walked off to the Potions classroom, gradually slowing her pace. Could she get a detention for being late to a detention? Likely so, but then would that be particularly fair? Again, most probably. Either way, if she did end up being late, she would still complain. 

Scrunching her nose, Alleta adjusted her grey v-neck jumper slightly, along with the blue and silver tie, both actions accompanied by a yawn. Approaching the door, she inhaled deeply and walked in, greeted by Fred glancing over from his seat to grin at her. "Ah! There she is."

"The woman of the hour!" George chimed in.

"On time?"

"Disgraceful."

"You have so much to learn."

"Our apprentice perhaps? We could use some fresh meat"

"Perhaps? Why I do believe that would be a marvellous idea Georgie."

"Wicked! Maybe she could be a test subject?"

"Let's ask he-"

Before the two boys could continue their 'back and forth' verbal ping pong of sorts, Snape cleared his throat from behind where they sat, cutting them off as his gaze travelled over to Alleta.

"The three of you will be organising the ingredients cupboard over in the back. If I find you have stolen or broken a single thing, it will not be pleasant. There is to be no pranking, no canoodling" At this he pointedly looked at Alleta, implying that she and either Fred or George were romantic. About to protest hurriedly, he cut her off again.

"No using magic, no mischief, no singing, no laughing, no contact of any sorts, and you may speak only when absolutely necessary. Understood?"

And despite the two gingers looking rather amused by Snape's attempt at being an authoritarian, they both nodded amicably, showing no evidence that they would have ever acted otherwise.

As much as Alleta enjoyed their pranks and misdemeanours, she really hoped they would stay true to their word so that she would be free to leave and go to bed without much drama.

"I am going down the corridor to my office. I have cast a charm so I will be able to hear any unusually loud noises, so I wouldn't go getting any funny ideas Mr Weasleys. Do not disturb me unless it is life or death. I will be back to check on your progress in an hour. If it is acceptable, you may leave." And with that, their professor stormed out of the room, the three students watching him go, with confused expressions.

She certainly had not been expecting him to leave them in the classroom unattended, nor would she complain about it. He was a nasty, vile man and quite frankly, the less time she spent around him, the better. 

"I'm going to assume the two of you have finished with your little performance?" Alleta wasn't entirely sure as to how she felt able to converse with them so freely now, after around 6 years. Perhaps it was the way they just put everyone around them at ease. Actually no, that's a whole ass lie. What with their ever expanding prank business and products, you would have to be a complete fool to feel one hundred percent comfortable around them.

"I don't know Freddie, are we?" George grinned at his brother, standing up and moving over to the cupboard.

"I suppose we could put it on hold for the time being."

Before he was able to say anything else, Alleta interrupted quickly, walking over to where both twins now stood. "For the record, I point blank refuse to be your test subject. Goodness knows the potential outcomes of some of your beastly creations. I'll pass." 

Fred staggered back, the palm of one hand pressed over his heart. "But you could be our muse!" He protested with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Whatever shall we do now? We may just have to-

Actually..." George grinned at his twin almost immediately.

"Ron." Catching on quick, his counterpart wiggled both eyebrows.

"We've found out new test subject, you're in the clear Allie." George smirked.

"See! You're already inspiring us. Never leave me." Fred's tone was teasing and he cupped both of her cheeks, placing a dramatic and over-exaggerated air kiss on her forehead.

Having not been expecting it in the slightest, she found that she had almost flinched, but prevented it at the last moment. 

"You're very curious." She mused, shaking her head and smiling, turning to open the cupboards, the smile dropping as quickly as it had appeared.

"This is a mess." Her groan was of frustration, knowing full well the first years who were Snape's last class wouldn't know how to put them away properly yet. "Bloody hell." Fred pulled a face in agreement.

There were herbs spilt across the shelves, the Dittany and Belladonna jars were very clearly mixed up and there were living horned slugs trailing slime over the wood.

"Shit." George barked out a laugh, moving a hand to brush through his chin length hair. 

"Shit indeed." Both Alleta and Fred muttered, grinning at one another as they realised they had said practically the same thing. 

While they had all very obviously and mutually decided that the rule 'no talking unless absolutely necessary' was a load of codswallop, not using magic was one they were very hesitant to break, as it would become clear to Snape that they had 'cheated.'

"I'll grab some spray and wipes. George get gloves. Lettie, yes you, Lettie." Fred winked.

"That's your new, Weasley only given nickname. You stay here and continue being our muse, Clear?"

Snorting, she nodded, fighting the blush that threatened to form over her cheeks at the nickname. She had only ever gone by Allie, Alleta or Blake, so to have him give her a new one, well, it was kind of sweet.

The only person to ever call her Lettie was a childhood friend she had lost contact with long ago, so it was both odd and unnervingly welcome to hear it from someone else's voice.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can help you with finding?" She called after them as they went in search of the cleaning products, but they either brushed her off and ignored her or simply didn't hear. 

Puffing out a heavy breath, Alleta wriggled her nose, grabbed her hairband and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, feeling it fall to her lower mid back. "Let's get started." She muttered to herself, grimacing. 

Reaching a hand in, she started to pull out the jars one by one, placing each of them on the desk closest to her and working around the spilt ingredients; especially the horned slugs, which to be completely honest, just grossed her out. They were icky.

"Gloves for you, m'lady." George came up behind her, dangling them in front of her face. Reaching up to grab them, he jerked them away, laughing. 

"Oh piss off!" Allie rolled her eyes at the action, though, as she had always been one to wear her heart on her sleeve; the laughter in her eyes contrasted the annoyed facade.

Following his gaze, she landed on Fred, who was thrown the pair of gloves. It became clear that this was essentially a game of piggy in the middle.

"You're childish." The sing-song tone rang through the classroom as Alleta made a jerking movement over to Fred, accidentally pushing him in an attempt to grab them, yet they were thrown over her head again.

"Surely you can do better than that Lettie? Pathetic." He taunted, beckoning George to lob them at him. 

Not bothering to respond, she hopped up slightly, her arm outstretched and grabbed the gloves. However, before being able to bask in her triumph, she fell back down on her feet funny, stumbling back and against the desk with the jars on.

Only one of them toppled off, but it shattered beside her, some of the pieces scattering across the floor. Throwing her hands behind her to steady her landing, Alleta winced. One of the bits of glass dug into her palm, slicing it and embedding itself slightly.

"Piss." The twins muttered in unison, moving to crouch beside her. 

Before they could say anything, the Ravenclaw paused, raising her good hand and motioning for them to be silent, as she thought she could hear Snape.

"False alarm." She giggled, her brows furrowed. The laughter was quiet but constant as she continued to look down at her bleeding palm.

While blood didn't really phase her much, Alleta found that she had a particularly annoying habit of laughing whereupon receiving bad news or something crappy happenning.

"Lets, I'm so sorry." Fred muttered, taking her smaller hand in his, glancing over at George who, already had his wand clutched in his hand. 

"This may sting a little, and considering how deep it is, it'll probably scare." The younger twin told her with a frown, both of their faces expressing clear guilt.

Her heart went out to them.

"It's fine! I'm fine. I was a little surprised at first but I've had worse." She reassured quickly, offering up a confident smile. She wasn't too sure what it was about the look Fred had in particular, but she hated the idea of them feeling upset of guilty. 

"Keep talking while I take the glass out. It'll take your mind off it." George grinned weakly at her, his fingertips brushing her hand; moving closer to the wound.

Keeping her eyes away from George and the glass, Alleta rested her head back against the top of the desk, looking at Fred and reaching out to flick his forehead playfully. 

"Well done numpty." She teased, feeling a swell of pride as a half smile broke out over his features. It was pretty. Could pretty be used to describe a boy, well, man? Was he a man? Pretty was a compliment either way and certainly something complimentary to a boy or at least, she thought so. It was hard to tell sometimes, due to plenty having an extremely fragile masculinity. But yes, in this case, she would most definitely be using pretty as an adjective.

As for whether or not Fred was a man, she wasn't sure. She had never really figured out when someone truly turned from a boy to a man because truthfully, there were legal adults out there who were utter misogynistic wankers and are absolutely not men. Either way-

"Tell me about the worst time you've hurt yourself. You said you've had 'worse.'" Fred's comforting voice pulled her from her train of thoughts, causing her to pause momentarily in order to contemplate what he had just said. 

"When I was 13, I had a fight with my older sister, she shoved me down the stairs and I broke my leg. It was a pretty normal, average experience, but still worse than my hand right now.  
Well, I say 'pretty normal' my sister did shove me down stairs, but then I've been a little shit sometimes so I guess we're both even. Not the most exciting story I must admit, Sorry to disappoint." She shrugged, grimacing and reaching out to squeeze her knee with her good hand, feeling George remove the glass.

"Hah! I shoved George off his broomstick when we were 10. He broke his arm." He was very clearly proud and this led to his twin stop working on her hand, to look up and chuckle.

"I tried throwing a bludger at him to be fair, so I did start it. But blimey mum was pissed. We weren't allowed to fly for about 2 months after that. So worth it."

The brothers exchanged grins and shook their heads, Fred looking back over at Alleta who watched the moment with a smile and a yawn. "My mum was horrified with Aurora, my sister. She wasn't allowed out to see her muggle boyfriend at the time and bloody hell did she kick up a fuss. Breaking my leg in order to see her throw a tantrum at 15 was, like you said, so worth it."

All three of them laughed and before she knew it, all the glass was removed and George pointed his wand at her hand. "Vulnera Sanentur" He muttered, and she watched as the blood gradually moved back into her skin, the wound sealing shut. There was now a jagged line cutting over the centre of her palm.

"Battlescars." Allie told them, beaming. This was somehow, the most fun she'd had all day.

Not long after that did they manage to clean up all the broken glass and return the horned slugs to their box. They sat down for around 20 minutes and separated the Dittany and Belladonna carefully, before wiping down the shelves and returning everything in it's original place.

All the while, the two guys refused to let her help with much except the sorting of the herbs, Fred in particular, was rather insistent that it was his fault she injured her hand and although she may be feeling fine, he wouldn't let her strain it.

Though how she could strain a scar, Alleta didn't know. Despite her protests, they both refused to abstain their statement. It was, much like with her nickname, quite sweet. 

Part of her had been dreading the end of the detention; because as to whether or not they would remain as friendly as they had been, she wasn't sure and, she enjoyed their company as much as she thought she would.

"It looks.. adequate." Snape drawled, swiping his finger over the now spotless shelves. Adequate. What bullshit. They had spent over an hour after the jar problem cleaning. But it was best to pick and choose their battles. This was not one.

"You may leave. But, if any one of you steps out of line in my class, all three of you receive detention. Now go." He snapped, ushering them out without giving them time to protest.

"What a twat!" Alleta frowned, though it lacked the right amount of indignation. She was too tired and content to be angry.

Looking over at Fred, she smiled, giving a light shrug. "Goodnight." She glanced at George too and smiled.

Moving toward her, Fred ruffled her hair with a crooked smirk. "You alright to get back to the Ravenclaw dorms?" He asked, surprisingly sincerely.

"Well considering I've been going there since I was 11, I believe I'll be just fine but.. Thank you. For this and with sorting out my hand. Both of you." 

"You are a bit of a clumsy sod." Fred teased.

"But I guess it's alright. We did kinda start it."

"Only kinda, You shouldn't be encouraging our behaviour!"

"What about me being your muse huh? Oh how you two switch up fast." Allie shook her head and nudged George with a grin.

"Night." She began walking off, though momentarily backwards so she could see them for a little longer. 

"Night!"

"Really not a good idea Lettie!" Fred called out at the same time George said goodnight, watching her laugh and turn her backs to them with a wide grin.

"I knew I'd like her." He muttered over at his brother, who raised an eyebrow.

"And to think, all these years you were too much of a shithead to talk to her."

"Bugger off."

"Coward."

"Wanker."

"Tosser."

"Prick."

"Oh leave off."

Their voices carried through the stone walls of the castle, echoing as they argued over little things the way siblings do.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	5. chapter four

September 16th, 1994

The next morning, Alleta was up at the crack of the dawn thanks to her roommates clanging around and getting ready for the early breakfast. While she adored being able to share with Amari, the other 3 girls in their dormitory, Isla, Felicity and Tessa, were lovely, so to speak, but extremely talkative and noisy. Always muttering until early hours of the morning which granted, is fun to do once every now and then, but not every. bloody. night. It was exhausting. She couldn't run on an hour of sleep.

Isla Hayworth was stunning. She was dark skinned with near black hair that she would braid herself, and her eyes were a stormy grey that Alleta could only dream of. She was by far the rowdiest; always entering the dorm yelling in frustration and throwing her bag down onto the bed, collapsing over it dramatically. Despite this, she was the sort of friend everyone needed to have at least one of. If any of their roommates looked down or weren't having the best day, she'd fish out her not-so-secret sweet stash and give them their favourites, only listening if they wanted them too. She was also probably the one that Alleta was the closest to, perhaps even more so than Amari who, thanks to her slight crush on Jacob, had been growing distant over the past year anyway.

Then there was Felicity Clemonte, dirty blonde hair down to her elbows and forest green eyes and reminded Allie of Luna Lovegood in the best way possible; a girl a few years younger than them. She was probably the quietest of all 5 of them, or at least, when she was in class and around other houses. Yet when around Isla and Tessa, she absolutely refused to stop talking. It was often Felicity who was the biggest source of information due to her girlfriend, Louise, being one of the more outgoing Hufflepuffs who somehow seemed to know everything going on, in addition to her staying mostly silent around people who should really learn to be more careful about where they discuss whose girlfriend (Henry's by the way) shagged which Slytherin 7th year. 

Finally, you had Theresa Green, Tessa. Her light brown hair was cut just above her shoulders in a choppy layered style, framing her face and dark blue eyes. She was what most would call 'boy-crazy.' Probably having hooked up with over half of 6th year and a good 2/3rd's of 7th. But she never seemed to cling onto one, or have a boyfriend. Though she said, and the dormitory agreed, that it was because she read too many books and to be frank, fictional men had raised her standards to the point of no return. No lies there. None at all. 

Their gossiping habits were the reason why Allie had grown so accustomed to staying in the background. She was simply a nosy person. Much like Felicity, people often overlooked her presence and said what they would normally only do in private. It was a bad habit of hers; eavesdropping when she shouldn't be, but one she wasn't so inclined to break.

Sending daggers over at Isla as she was the one who had walked into her bedpost and cursed "Fucking shit hell." in one of her loudest voices, waking the others up.

"No need to get your knickers in a twist. You should invest in earbuds. I hear the Weasley twins are supplying and that Fred is finally hanging around you." The girl winked over at her, pulling her grey stockings up to her knees, a slight smirk tugging at the right corner of her lips.

"You're one to talk, miss I can't be around you when you're eating it makes me sick." Alleta retorted, rolling her eyes with mild mirth. 

It had been a conspiracy theory among their dormitory; one that Amari so graciously decided to start as a way of teasing her friend about the 'crush' she had, by the way. That Fred was into her. Complete bullshit. She actually found it to be quite funny. The two had barely spoken to one another before yesterday.

"Well you're a disgusting eater! That's not even a question!" Isla laughed, watching her move to pull her robe on with a grin.

"And you're ears are just overly sensitive." Walking over to her, she flicked her shoulder and released a noise of surprise when she was shoved playfully onto the bed as Isla turned away immediately, both of them laughing.

"You're such a twat." 

"Piss off." 

With their roommates having left already, Isla and Alleta walked down to the Great Hall together, talking about the charms assignment. 

"I can't believe Flitwick is sending us back to wingardium leviosa. I mean it's literally a first year spell! Sure it's for revision or something but really." Allie shook her head with a bemused expression at Isla's protests. 

Sure, the two of them may be good at it, but she knew for a fact that at the very least, the Gryffindor Lee Jordan was still god awful when it came to the levitation spell. The last time he did it, they were all out on the Quidditch Pitch after a game and he was bet that he couldn't make the quaffle float over Professor Mcgonagalls head.

Let's just say that it ended with scorch marks on the grass and Jordan receiving a months worth of detention. The twins most certainly found it uproarious. 

"You've got a point and it is, indeed a first year spell but remember Jordan last year?" At the sudden burst of laughter from her friend, she knew for a fact that she did in fact have as vivid a memory as Alleta did. 

"Okay fair. I take back my complaints. He definitely needs it."

"Bless him though, he looked horrified when the quaffle exploded by Mcgonagall."

"Who even knew that would happen from the bloody levitation spell? What the fuck."

Continuing their conversation as they approached the breakfast table, Alleta groaned as the smell of coffee and pancakes wafted under her nose. "I swear, breakfast here is the biggest reason why I absolutely refuse to leave Hogwarts. It's physically flawless."

"Can breakfast in general be physically flawless? Is that even a thing?"

"I- well i don't know but for the sake of my complete and unadulterated hunger, let's say it can."

Sitting on opposite sides so they faced each other, Allie's gaze wandered around the hall, wincing at the sight of the other early risers; bleary eyes and lot's and lot's of yawns. 

"I hate you for waking me up. I wasn't massively tired this morning, but everybody else's fatigue will infect me."

"Not how it works." Isla's voice took on the smug sing-song tone that she used at least 5 times daily. 

"Yeah yeah." This time, her words were muffled by pancakes drizzled in lemon juice and sugar.

The warmth and deliciousness of the food filled her with joy. It was rare that she got to experience first pickings at the breakfast table. Maybe getting up early had it's perks after all. 

Pouring a mug of hot coffee, Alleta tipped a spoonful of sugar and drop of milk, stirring it absentmindedly. She jumped slightly as the door at the professor's end of the hall opened loudly, Mad-eye Moody bursting through and taking a large swig from a bottle of sorts.

"He's creepy." She acknowledged, shaking her head. The new DADA professor had been said to be using the unforgivable curses in class, demonstrating them on insects and occasionally, the Imperius one on a student. It was disgusting and she had no idea why he was still allowed to be teaching at the school, besides his position as top auror.

"Thank you! Honestly. That's what I've been trying to tell Tess, but she thinks he's perfectly normal. Like can we just have Professor Lupin back. He was gorgeous, with the whole rugged studious vibe going for him."

Choking back a snort, Allie grinned widely; her dimples appearing. "I have to agree with you there. He was just... Wow. No words." She admitted, nodding eagerly.

Her food beckoning her, she glanced down at her plate, before hearing Isla gasp and feeling two people sit beside her. Was it really..

"Who was 'just... Wow. No words.'" The newly familiar voice shocked her.

"It better be me or that's just rude."

"Right Freddie? I'm hurt."

Alleta turned her head to one side, narrowed her eyes before noting the mussed up hair. Fred. 

"That, is between me and Isla. None of your business. I guess you'll just have to live in a constant state of uncertainty." She pinched his cheek teasingly, dropping her hand almost as fast as she had done it. Averting her eyes back to her friend sat opposite them, she noticed that she was now watching with an expression of both bewilderment and a renowned sense of smugness. 

Christ, she would never hear the end of this.

"Anyway," Brushing past the topic, Alleta smiled over at George "What are you two doing over here? Last I checked the halfwit table is.." Pausing slightly, she pointed her index finger over to where the boys usually sat. "That way." 

George raised the back of his palm to press against his forehead, mocking the fainting action. "Oh how you wound us with your cruel words."

Chuckling along, Fred smiled down at her and, surprisingly enough, answered her question. "I- We, wanted to check that you were alright after yesterdays tumble. Is your hand stinging or anything?" His voice was oddly tentative, but she brushed it off as guilt and cast him a warm smile.

"It's fine actually, thank you. Occasionally there'll be a dull throbbing but it's nothing i can't handle."

"Oh good, well, I'm glad. I think we have a couple classes together today. Do you fancy walking with me?"

While the two of them had begun a conversation, Allie noticed George and Isla chatting, both of whom were grinning, and there was a very light atmosphere. It was nice.

"Sure, why not. I believe I can spare you a moment of my precious company today. 

"Brilliant! I can run you through a couple of prank ide-" He was suddenly cut off by the approaching Hufflepuff who had caught both of their attention as he moved to sit beside Isla, hanging a loose arm around her shoulders and smiling in greeting; Isla and Cedric were rather good friends and had been since before he dated Allie. 

"Hey you." Hesitantly drawing her attention from George, Isla poked him in the side as her own 'hello.' Causing Cedric to jerk away with a short laugh. "Oi, I thought we agreed you would stop that!" He protested

"We did no such thing! Did we Allie?"

Taken by surprise at being drawn into the conversation, the brunette raised an eyebrow, suddenly very aware of her close proximity to Fred and her cheeks flushing. "Actually Ced, I think I'm on Isla's side for this one. What I distinctly remember is you saying that exact phrase every time she has ever poked you in the side, her repeating with what she did just now and bringing me into this, and then you pout" As if he knew what was coming, Cedric's lower lip jutted out playfully. "Like that! And we all agree to forget about it and move on."

"Well... I- Fine. Whatever. It's only being poked, I wasn't bothered, I simply figured it would be a good conversation starter, oh and hey Weasleys." He smirked, turning his attention to George and then Fred, who had been observing the spectacle in bemusement.

"Unlike the girls here." George scrunched his nose playfully. "I'm fully team Cedric. Besides, he's probably ticklish there so that's why he wants you to stop."

Turning to look at the younger twin, Alleta's mouth hung open and she glared lightheartedly. "Now I'm the one who's hurt! Traitor. You come over to speak to me and then take his side. His?" Before she could say anything else, she felt a sudden poke in her left side and released a giggle, flinching away. Fuck. She had always been quite a ticklish person, so the slight contact there risked her having an outburst.

"How's this." Fred, who had been the one to poke her, grinned at the group. "Every time Isla pokes Cedric, and Ced tells me, that's one poke for Lettie."

'Lettie?' Isla mouthed over at her, her stormy eyes twinkling in delight. This was, in her mind, simply more evidence to put forth in favour of the conspiracy theory in their dorm. 

Choosing to ignore her friend's newfound excitement, Alleta snapped her head over to face Fred, her expression one of feigned outrage. "That's just unnecessary Weasley. Poke Isla. There is no need to drag me into theirs, and now your, petty battle." 

"Yes but that's where you're wrong. There is." Fred beamed at her.

"Oh and what's that?"

"I get such a kick out of annoying you, you don't even know. And trust me Lettie, I won't stop. Like George and I said in detention, you're our new best friend." He winked at her, his eyebrows wiggling in unison.

"That's just- No. Fine. Whatever." Biting on the inside of her cheek, holding back her smile, she rolled her eyes, pointedly not looking over to see Isla's expressive features; that girl truly wore her heart on her sleeve. 

"You're in for one hell of a ride." George grinned from the other side of her and, standing up, Alleta brushed her skirt down, glancing over at the clock. She did her best to act unaffected, pleased at best, by their interest in friendship, though internally, she was giddy. The two of them had no idea what it meant to her. They were bloody brilliant.

"Right well, it's Charms first. Isla, you ready?" She looked down at the other girl, who stood up, tugging at Cedric's ear despite his protests, with a crooked grin. The two of them grabbed their bags when Allie paused, glancing at Fred, as the guys also stood and gathered their things.

"I think we all actually have Charms now." George mused aloud, causing her to stop momentarily; running through the class in her mind and then remembering that yes they did in fact share it, 

"Huh." She acknowledged as the 5 of them began walking, George, Cedric and Isla engaged in a debate over the most complicated Charm. The lot of them were hilarious.

"Hey." Allie smiled up at Fred, who returned the look.

"Sit next to me in Charms? I was beginning to tell you earlier, but I actually think your input on a couple of mine and George's next pranks would be quite effective. I mean.. I've heard that you're quite smart in general but also in a deductive kind of way? Hell, you can tell George and I apart, that's a bloody impressive feat. Our own mother even struggles sometimes."

Her smile only grew, especially at the look in his eyes when talking about George and their mum; it was pure fondness and adoration. He was yet again proving that there was more to him than the boisterous personality they all knew and had grown used to. With their budding friendship, maybe the two of them would grow close enough to share their thoughts about friends and learn about the other's secrets and family, etc... Even if that wasn't the case, she was happy with the way things were turning out.

"Definitely, of course I will! And I would love to help with the prank." The grin that cracked over his expression was worth it, and, as the two of them walked, he began to launch into explicit detail over everything he had so far. Alleta listened loyally, strolling beside him and taking mental notes.

It involved more pink powder, some sort of odorous gas and a type of casing.

Fred went into the mechanics of it and the complete eagerness he had over the idea of completing yet another prank for the Weasley archives, well, it was brilliant.

This was bound to be an adventure.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	6. chapter six

November 24th, 1994

A month or so passed and before they knew it, the day of the first task had arrived. As the time for the tournament to truly begin had drawn closer, tensions had been increasing and the students around the school were left buzzing with excitement, placing their bets on who they believed would be awarded first place. It seemed to be a very large consensus for Krum at the moment, something that Alleta found preposterous. Had they seen Cedric? 

As it was to be expected, Cedric was wracked with nerves. He knew from the fourth year, Harry Potter, that in the first task he would be facing off against dragons, which in itself was terrifying, not to mention the very true reality that he would be doing so in front of three of the world's most prestigious wizarding schools. 

A small group of them; Alleta, Cedric, Isla, Fred and George, had been growing close since that day at breakfast and it was particularly lovely. Especially since, Alleta realised, Amari and Jacob had begun to date and had been growing apart from her. Surprisingly, it hadn't really effected her. They were still on friendly terms and occasionally ate together but she found that she fit in much more with this group as a whole. The dynamic was perfect and they had since been helping with some behind the scenes of infamous Weasley twin pranks. 

That morning, Alleta and Fred were sat out by the Black Lake before they were to go up to the newly built stadium in the mountainous region surrounding the castle. The two of them, in particular, had been developing a tentative yet an 'i'm going to insult you until we both are unable to keep straight faces and snort out laughs.' kind of friendship, though admittedly, Allie felt closer to and more comfortable around Cedric still.

Fred was the sort of person who, unless explicitly acting like everybody else or just overly sleep, you were always on edge around. Nobody knew when he or George would next pull out the stops for their new 'biggest prank yet.' It was tiring and yet exhilarating. 

He never failed to put a smile on her face or bring out laughter even at times when it was what she wanted the least. They seemed to express their appreciation through light touches or, more often than not, shoulder barges, nudging and hair ruffling. Their newfound friendship filled her with regret over the fact they only had one year left after this one, and she wished they had grown closer as kids.

"Do you reckon Ced will be alright?" She mused, leaning back against the tree and tugging the sleeves of her too big, navy jumper over her hands from under her black rainjacket. Her ripped jeans fitted flatteringly, though the tears in the knees exposed a few grazes and scars she had accumulated from both the years, and last few weeks. Dark hair flowed down to her mid back in knotted waves, blowing in the wind under her dark blue beanie and she moved her house scarf up further across her face, in an attempt to warm her flushed cheeks.

"Of course mate, Ced's brilliant. I've placed bets on him winning, but don't tell Harry." The ginger threw her a wink, his knitted, grey bobble hat moving in the wind. 

"I would never." Moving closer beside him, Allie sniffed her runny nose and shivered as he slung a friendly arm around her shoulders. "I'm scared." Her admission took Fred by surprise, and she looked up to meet his warm gaze.

"You have no reason to be." While some may have found his current tone to be patronising, the girl knew him well enough by now to see that he was doing his best to comfort her; something he was much better at than people gave him credit for. "I know you still love him-" Fred smiled down at her, chuckling at her noises of protests that had interrupted him. "Let me finish." He reprimanded playfully.

"I know you love him, whichever way that may be, although from your immediate reaction, I assume it's platonic and familiar rather than romantic. But you know for a fact he wanted us to enjoy today and act like we aren't all freaked out a little on the inside. He needs you to not show your fear, until at least after the task. Because trust me Lettie, if he comes out only to see you panicking for him, he could get distracted and end up dead.

Sorry, that really wasn't the best thing to say was it?" At her look of sheer horror, Fred pulled a face, realising that it probably wasn't his best way of phrasing that or comforting her.

"No, no Weasley, it really wasn't." Alleta laughing slightly and rested her head against him; her cheek pressed on his shoulder, and she smiled to herself as he moved his own to rest flat on the wool of her hat. 

"Hah. What I meant to say was, don't be such a bloody shitter and cheer up. He'll be fine and hell, I reckon he's going to win the whole tournament. Try and enjoy the day for what it is, yeah?" 

Choking back a loud burst of laughter, she shook her head and elbowed him lightly in the side. "I'll be a bloody shitter if I want to be. So shove off." Her words were quiet mutters that entirely lacked in the proper indignation for Fred to be able to talk her seriously; alongside the way she was practically curled against him on the grass under the tree. 

"Remind me why we chose to sit out here while we waited to go, instead of back in the Great Hall with the others?" Allie frowned, her brows furrowing. She was not a fan of the cold. 

Okay, perhaps that's a slight lie.

Alleta adored the winter and everything to do with it. Despite being a summer baby, it had always been her favourite season; she would play- well, more accurately, fight her older sister- in the snow, make snow angels and practically bury herself under mountains of the stuff. But the best part in all this, was going inside and warming up by the fire, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows in clean clothes and fluffy socks.

"You were freaking out over Cedric having to compete and had begun running through possible scenarios in your head. And before you even try and deny it, I could see your eyes cloud over with the same look you always get when overthinking things." Fred told her, mainly with a tone laced over with smugness. He had begun to like the way he noticed little things about her, things that to many others, probably flew over their heads. 

"Plus, having to hear people placing bets over things like who is most likely to shit themselves or accidentally set their clothes on fire with a dodgy spell, well, I can't imagine that would help." In all honesty, it had, in fact been Fred to start said bets. But that was another story altogether and irrelevant in this context. But from the breath of laughter from Lettie, he was able to tell that she already knew. 

As he spoke again, the boy absentmindedly traced patterns along her arm on the other side of her, where he could reach with his own arm around her shoulders.

"So I figured I would drag you out of there." He finished and closed his eyes, allowing him to enjoy the moments of serenity before the inevitable would happen and they'd be off to go to watch the task which, actually was happening in-

"Fuck. Shit. Bugger." 

The marvellously articulate string of expletives left his mouth before he could help it and Alleta burst out into a crooked grin, snapping her head up to look at him. Unable to help himself, Fred teasingly poked her dimples; a habit he was beginning to acquire.

"Piss off!" She protested, whacking his hand away from her face. "But what is it?" Her tone carried a rushed sense of urgency when he grabbed her by the wrists, pulling her up. The two of them staggered back, quite nearly falling over the other as they laughed at the near tumble. 

"The first task starts in ten minutes. Come on or we'll be late!" Fred surprised her by linking their hands and moving into a half hurried walk, half run. 

Gripping him tightly, she rushed to keep up with his longer legs, muttering under her breath about the inconveniences of not being able to both apparate in Hogwarts and not until they're 17. She would surely grow lazy if she were able to do so, yet the thought of not having to put up with the insufferable moving staircases and winding towers was much welcomed.

The closer they got to the stadium, the tenser Alleta found herself growing. All the dreadful possibilities and scenarios were running through her mind. What is Cedric smashed his head on a rock? Or was unable to complete one of the tasks and injured himself in the process? What would happen if he took a fall and broke his bones, and the dragon picked him up and ate him? In all fairness, she wasn't certain dragons genuinely ate people. Maybe she could get Fred to ask his older brother Charlie for her.

It definitely did not help that past contenders had genuinely died while competing in the Tournament. It meant that anything she was able to conjure up in her thoughts or imagine, could in fact, be possible. Hell, knowing Harry Potter's luck, Voldemort himself could gatecrash.

No, that was a little extreme, but it didn't make her feel much better.

Cheering and fanfares greeted the two of them upon running up the last stretch of the hills. They were red faced and panting; Allie's beanie threatening to slip down into her eyes as it had been knocked askew, her dark hair was caught over her face and she reached her fingers up, pulling strands from her mouth.

Casting a glance over at the boy beside her, she laughed quietly at his appearance. His hand-knitted Weasley jumper was bunched up under the dark greenish coat, and his bobble hat had been pushed up and almost off his head, with his hair a knotted, tangled mess.

"You look ridiculous." She teased, thankful for the momentary distraction. 

Moving closer and toward him, Alleta tiptoed up, taking his hat off and reaching her fingers to untangle his hair. Her nose was scrunched, though her eyes glinted with amusement at the sound of his grunts of protest.

"Gerrof." Fred muttered, going to hit her hands away, despite the large smile on his face when she pulled his hat down over his face, so it touched the bottom of his chin. "You little sneak." Before she was able to turn and run off, he grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her in, poking her sides while she kicked at him.

"You little shit!" Allie snorted, ignoring the way her heart sped up at the feeling of being held up to his chest. He was warm, his breath tickling at her ear when he moved his head down closer to hers. She could feel the way his hair brushed against her cheek and his grin as he whispered "You have 3 seconds headstart."

Surprising her, he released her waist and counted "3.."

Not wasting a moment, as she knew full well he would likely tickle her, she hurried into the stands of the stadium, her heart sinking almost immediately.

Down below was a large circular area with a rocky terrain. She scanned it desperately, searching for anything Cedric would be able to use against the dragon. There was nothing. Fuck.

She knew him. Trusted him well enough to assume he had a spell or trick up his sleeve. Alleta had no doubt in her mind that if Cedric hadn't been so loyal or valued kindness above all else, he would have been in Ravenclaw. He had the skill; the ability. She just had to have faith.

Spotting George standing with Isla and his mates Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson, she moved through the rows of cheering, anticipated students. There were hundreds of them bunched together in the small space, making it exceptionally difficult to move somewhere that wasn't already filled to the brim.

Finally having made it to the lot of them, Alleta was greeted with smiles all round. Isla's was of nervousness, George and Lee's were both friendly and affectionate, while Angelina's was that of an unsure nature, almost hesitant to liking her? She had to admit, she wasn't sure if the two had ever spoken to one another before, which was likely the reasons behind it.

"Oi Blake, where's Freddie?" Lee cracked a grin at her; the two being quite good friends now that the twins welcomed her into their ranks.

"He was-"

"Right here." Not giving her the chance to finish, Fred yanked the brunette's hat down over her face, having come up from behind her. Upon hearing her noise of outrage when she pulled the hat from off her head; revealing a thick, frizzy mane of hair, he skirted between the lot of them, going to stand behind George for protection.

"You're such a bloody twat oh my god." 

"Yeah but you love it." He winked at her playfully, unable to keep the smile from his face; at both her reaction and the overall competitive and lively atmosphere surrounding them. Returning back to his original spot beside Alleta, Fred made eye contact as he brushed some hair from her face. "Get worried or panicked, just grab my hand. I'll break your fingers for you so you can be rushed off to the infirmary and don't have to watch the rest." His kept his words light, not quite as deep or meaningful as he could have gone; he wanted to simply make sure that Allie knew he was there for comfort purposes.

"I think I'll be alright, but I'll keep note of your offer just in case." She nudged him lightly, and he welcomed the contact. "I'm just scared for Ced. Subconsciously I know full well that he's going to smash it and come out on top, he's bloody brilliant that way." Listening to her words and the way she got this look of complete adoration when speaking about the Hufflepuff, Fred felt a swell of happiness for her. Having somebody who looked like that when talking about you was never one that you would want to miss. He couldn't even bring himself to feel jealous of Cedric as he knew the adoration was deserving.

Before either of them could say anything more, there was a loud trumpet and suddenly someone emerged from the sides of the arena, bringing with them what looked to be a Swedish Short-Snout. "They're nasty creatures they are. Breathing out blue flame. But stunning to look at." George yelled across at the two of them from over the loud cheers of the crowd. 

"Charlie mentioned somebody would be getting a Hungarian Horntail. They're the real nasty ones." He continued "Pity the bugger who gets given that one. Pissing hell." Fred chimed in, both of them remembering the way their older brother, Charlie Weasley, had gone into detail about which dragons he would be bringing over with him from Romania. 

"What's the Hungarian Horntail like?" Alleta's curiousity was piqued and she looked up at George, who stood to her left. She felt like now would be a good time to converse with them as the dragon down in the arena was being chained and attached to a rock, prevented from being able to fly away. Dragon trainers, including the elder Weasley, were down there providing last minute checks and safety measures before giving the go ahead to the people in charge.

"They're one of the most dangerous dragon breeds." George yelled again.

"Can shoot fire over 50 bloody feet!" Fred added.

"It's breath can turn stone red hot in seconds."

"They eat humans when they can."

"It's got massive coloured spikes it can deploy when fighting!" 

"Wicked!"

The two boys ping-ponged off each other for a while as they named characteristics they could remember from their brother's letters. Each one chilled Allie to the bone. She wasn't just scared for who she considered one of her best friends anymore. She was scared for all 4 of the champions. She didn't like admitting to fear, but she refused to deny it when people she cared about where in danger. 

And whoever got the Horntail most certainly was.

All of a sudden, there was a hush over the crowds as one of the champions entered the arena. There was a flash of yellow as they moved their head in confusion, snapping to different places in the stadium as they took it in for the first time.

It was Cedric.

Panic coarsed through her and despite the jolt of concern, she couldn't prevent the overwhelming rush of relief at the fact he got given the Swedish Short-Snout rather than the Hungarian Horntail.

He had a chance.

And a bloody good one at that. 

Alleta's breath hitched and she clutched onto the sleeve of Fred's coat jacket, moving so they were closer, thankful to George on her other side, who slung an arm around her shoulders, messing with her hair to annoy her. But she knew he was doing what he could to keep her relaxed. In just a few short weeks, the boys on both sides of her had become some of her closest companions.

Turning her attention back down to the rocky arena, Allie watched as Cedric tentatively took one step and then another, each further and further into the centre. He looked unsure and rightfully so; as if he were contemplating and calculating which move he could make that had the highest rates of success.

Or not.

It was what she would do, and from the expression on his face, and the crease between his eyebrows, it certainly seemed as if that was what he were doing.

Before being able to debate further with herself, there was a siren and Cedric moved into action.

The first task had begun.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	7. chapter six

November 24th, 1994

Almost ten seconds into the first task and Cedric had already been knocked to the ground, having been hit in the torso by the Short-Snout's silver scaled tail. As if she could feel the impact, Alleta winced, leaning forward on the bar in front of her, keeping her fingers tightly locked on Fred's sleeve; almost as a coping mechanism.

"Come on Ced!" Her voice blended in with all the others but she hoped it would have some form of positive effect on the boy. "Think! Use your brain!" The Hufflepuff seemingly spared a glance over in their general direction, before he jumped up to his feet and grabbed his wand. 

"Is he-"

"-Muttering something?"

"A spell?"

"Curse?

"Hex?"

"What's he up to?"

The whispers grew louder and more absurd upon spreading through the congested rows of students. Ignoring them all and narrowing her eyes, Allie leaned forward in a mild attempt to decipher what Cedric was trying. It was at that very moment, he transfigured a rock into a dog.

Yes. A dog.

A soft gasp slipped out of her, being replaced with an ear-splitting grin.

"You brilliant genius." She found herself muttering, shaking her head in delight. He was going to use the animal as a form of distraction. The dog would grab the dragon's attention while it ran around it, likely in a very excitable manner; thus confusing it and making it lose track of Cedric. 

She had severely underestimated him and was beginning to truly believe he had a shot at winning this. A Hufflepuff winning the Triwizard Tournament. Imagine. Finally, a house beside Gryffindor or Slytherin garnering the attention.

The dragon roared, spreading out it's wings, each scale glinting in the winter sun. It prowled, circling the perimeter of the arena, silvery blue flames puffing out with each growl.

While the domestic animal began barking wildly, running up to sniff at the dragons leg, Cedric, shuffled toward the golden egg in barely imperceptible movements. He was afraid that if he put even the slightest foot out of line, his entire plan would crumble before him.

It felt like hours before something of any consequence occurred.

Cedric moved a little too quickly and suddenly, he tumbled down a jagged dip in the boulders, the Swedish Short-Snout snapped it's attention in his direction, it's dark eyes narrowing over in the direction of him. 

Before he had the chance to react, it swooped down toward him, Cedric swore and made for a sprint to the egg; which was now only a few metres from him. His feet caught on the laces of his boots and he staggered over, coming face to face with the ground, skidding backwards against the rocks, staring up at the dragon in fear.

A momentary pause stilled the cheers echoing around the stadium, with everyone leaning forward slightly. The dragon drew closer and, just as Cedric was able to pick himself back up, about to turn and make a run for it; the creature breathed out heavily, cold blue flames erupting from it's nose, burning past the boy.

He released a guttural cry of pain, the fire partially burning his face.

It was agonising, but he couldn't stop. He refused to.

Cedric's breathing was growing into a heavy sort of panting, his skin grew clammy and pale. The palms of his hands throbbing from the rubbed raw skin. His eyes focused in on the resplendent egg. So close. Spurred on from the lively cheers and screams of encouragement from the audience, he knew he could do it. He could ignore the dragon; the way that with each step he felt as if the flames were growing closer, that there was an impending loss just waiting for him in the next few moments. He needed this win. Needed to prove that he was just as worthy as a Gryffindor, or a Durmstrang or Beauxbatons. That despite what people thought, Hufflepuff's weren't weak, or cowardly. They weren't the leftovers or the unwanted. That they were deserving of glory.

He had to do it for himself, and for his house.

He just had to.

Despite the fact it was the first task rather than final one, the pressure was still there.

One final sprint towards it and his fingertips grazed the cold metal of the clue. They gripped it tightly and he turned to hoist it up, cracking a wide grin.

His dragon was reeled in cautiously, kept back and restrained from him.

Cedric allowed himself a moment to bask in his victory, his eyes flitting across the crowds of people, searching for and then finding them. Fred and George were punching the air, their usual matching grins radiating thrill. Standing between them, with whom he made eye contact, was Alleta. Her eyes shone with pride, and something else he couldn't quite detect.

He loved that girl, his entire heart bled for her. But it was clear, and they both knew, the two of them suited each other's friendship more. He was simply happy to still have her beside him, sharing moments of pure, inexplicable joy.

It was at that point, with him still watching her intently, did he identify her other emotion.

Horror.

The searing pain in his face as it began to blister, returned and Cedric groaned.

"Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts contender!" The voice over the megaphone called out, and Cedric was ushered from the area, clutching the egg to his chest.

He knew he wouldn't have placed first, but at that moment, he didn't care.

He was burned in the fucking face, and still completed the task, finding the clue.

In the next few moments, everything was blurred and he was being helped out of the arena; the dragon having been contained and reeled back in.

-

Her heart had sunk.

He looked as though he was going to come out unscathed and victorious.

Or at least, until that crucial point in time.

His stumble and accident had cost him valuable minutes, but she didn't care about that.

It was his face. His darling face.

Allie could only imagine the pain he must have felt; to be scorched with the flames of a dragon, while facing up in front of people from the 3 most renowned and prestigious wizarding schools.

The last she had been able to see of it, after the two broke eye contact, was that it had begun to blister, the skin raw and vivid red.

She was going to leave the task early to run into Hogsmeade and make sure that he had some of his favourite things. 

Not only did he deserve it, but it would likely make him feel better with the injury.

Despite this, Alleta turned her attention back down to the middle of the arena, where Cedric had been taken away from; presumably to be taken to the infirmary, where Madame Pomfrey would use spells and ointments to heal the wounds, whilst the other champions were completing their own tasks, in order to collect the clue for the next one.

She doubted that, in the case of the burns resulting in scarring, Cedric would mind.

He, nor anyone else, valued him entirely for his good looks.

Hell, the scars would give him a rugged edge most people would kill to have; mystery.

But it was likely, from a practical point of view, that Madame Pomfrey would be able to heal it entirely, leaving him feeling fresh as a daisy and stronger.

Her heart had swelled up with pride at the way he hadn't stopped moving. He had managed to get the clue without much upset, aside form a little tumble. Cedric was bloody brilliant and maybe, could do it better than Harry Potter. Or at least, she hoped so.

Because while Alleta had never particularly had an opinion on the boy who lived, she was entirely, heart and soul, rooting for Cedric. As bad as it sounded, Harry had had plenty of chances to prove himself. Not that any of it was chosen for him. She felt so much pain for the younger boy, especially considering he very clearly had not put his own name in the Triwizard Cup. Like really. Anyone with a remote shred of common sense would have been able to detect the complete dread and fear on his face upon hearing his name echoing around the walls of the Great Hall. The kid had gone white as a sheet.

Which, partially was why she wished Cedric would be the one to win. As, not only would he be the fucking winner of the Triwizard Tournament, he would have been up against the boy who lived. And, quite frankly, if Harry were to win, he would only be placed further into the spotlight; something he was seemingly opposed to, despite his the way he constantly ended up with it shining over him anyway.

Harry would have even more fame to his name, though it wouldn't do much for him more than give people further reasons to help him against Voldemort's inevitable return.

Cedric, however, well it would frame his entire future. To have the claim to the Triwizard Cup, it would be a major advantage in searching for a job upon Hogwarts graduation, and having a good life. 

Being dragged from her thoughts, she felt a slight tug at her earlobe and cracked out a weak smile. "Hey! Piss off!"

It was Fred.

Of course.

She wondered why she was ever still surprised by that notion anymore.

It was always him. 

"You zoned out on me for a minute. It's like the sorting ceremony again. Honestly Blake, get a grip." He teased, leaning down and pressing his forehead on her shoulder.

"Cedric will be alright you know." Fred reassured her, glancing down with a gentle smile. "You and I both know from personal experience how good at her job Madame Pomfrey is." 

That was, indeed true.

"I know." She laughed hesitantly and rubbed her temple with her index and forefinger. "I mean, the both of us combined have probably been in need of her assistance well over 100 times."

"See! And we've both turned out- well, I've turned out perfect. You on the other hand... You could use a little work."

"Dick."

Doing her best to keep her mind off how heavy her heart felt, Allie looked from the arena to Fred and then back again. 

"Listen, I think I'm just going to ditch the rest of the task and go to Hogsmeade. You alright if I just meet the rest of you for dinner? I want to get Ced some stuff from Honeydukes and Dervish and Bangs. It just might help keep his spirits high, you know?"

Fred felt a surge of admiration toward her. She wasn't as freaked out as she normally was, or, at the very least, how much he thought she would be. 

"I understand, definitely. I think Ced'll love that." He nudged her lightly. Part of him wanted to go with her, but then the rest of him felt better at the thought of giving her some space, or time to spend with one of her girl friends. "Why don't you see if Isla would be up for it too? I think if the two of you combined are able to come up with what you think he'd most appreciate, then there's no going wrong." Fred suggested, resting his elbows on the railing.

"That's not a bad shout actually, thank you Weasley." Alleta smiled over at him, half-heartedly, before moving through their group and over to Isla.

"Hey." She started.

His eyes followed her over to where she now stood, and Fred rubbed a hand over the back of his neck lightly.

He lingered on her for a moment longer than really necessary, before turning around to face the arena, watching them set up for the next champion, who would apparently be facing a Welsh Green dragon. Not nearly as bad as the other one, but still puts up quite the good fight.

Being unable to stop himself from doing so, Fred found his thoughts wandering over to the green eyed girl. She made him feel ways he didn't like. They were unfamiliar to him and honestly, unwelcome. Realistically, they had been there from the moment he had first seen her, but as they had gone their separate ways, it became easier for them to dull, almost disappearing entirely.

As much as he didn't wish it so, the sly glances he would cut over to Alleta during any shared classes, or his attempt to be spoken about so she may come over and ask him something; all of it pointed to the same, one thing.

The one thing he refused to accept.

Especially now the two of them were had become quite close and good friends in addition to the way that he was almost entirely positive there was still something between her and Diggory.

Why bother ruining a friendship over something so trivial?

"Oi, Weasley. I'm off with Isla, catch you later?" Lettie smiled that warm small at him and he was a gonner.

"Sure mate, dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan." With that, her and her fellow Ravenclaw walked off, arm linked with each other's arm.

"Probably not the best time to bring it up, but you know she dated Diggory for like just under a year, right? The breakup is kind of fresh too." George and Lee stood either side of him; Angelina having turned to speak to her friends Alicia and Katie.

"I'm not sure why you felt the need to share that with me." Fred shrugged with a nonchalant grin, his gaze flicking between the two boys.

"Alright, Freddie, Sure."

"I'm not even going to bother. It's fruitless." Fred hesitated for a moment. "Besides, Angelina's more my type. You know, sporty. Fit, etc.." He told them, shrugging himself through the lie;

The three guys paid their attention back onto the dragon and the now, emerging champion; Fleur Delacour.

Whatever happened during the Tournament would almost definitely be worth the thrill that watching the tasks gave him. He loved it. Though, part of him, so he believed, would always long to have been able to compete himself.

Yet that begs the eternal question.

How shit scary would that inevitable howler from her mother would be.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	8. chapter seven

November 24th, 1994

"Okay so, we've got a pumpkin pasty, two chocolate frogs, a liquorice wand and one bag of sherbet lemons, plus a new book that he probably will never read, but it gave me an excuse to buy it." 

"He may just fall in love with the both of us. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if some sort of love triangle were to arrive."

"Agreed. He'll say that we're godsends."

"Not that he would be wrong. I am almost positive we are."

"At the very least, you are. It was, in all fairness, your idea."

"I may have had the idea but you were the one to know all of his favourite sweets. I mean.. I dated the boy for 10 months and couldn't manage to remember any bar the chocolate frogs. That in itself is rather 'un-godsendy' of me."

"Well.... Maybe." 

Laughing shortly at her response, Alleta looked beside her to where Isla was walking. "Were you scared too? When Cedric-.. When it happened?" She asked her, her voice was almost imperceptible it was so quiet. "I don't want to seem dramatic over something kind of small, you know? It's obviously not that big a deal, I mean, Ced was clearly okay, but that doesn't change how it felt."

"Of course." Isla moved so she linked their arms, while her other hand gripped onto the handle of one of the bags of treats; Allie held the other. "Seeing his face like that. Watching it happen. It was terrifying.

And maybe it wasn't so bad for people who aren't mates with him. For them, it's just mild entertainment. Who cares if Diggory gets a burned face. It'll heal anyway. 

But for us, and for him. It's not quite like that. This tournament is dangerous. Ridiculously so. Anything could happen and so the prospect of Ced being in danger is much more real and personal to us. 

For others to say that people are dramatic in regards to being nervous about the tasks, well that's not true. Because for the most part, people who say that don't have a loved one competing."

Allowing a moment for Isla's words to sink in, Alleta smiled over at her, resting her head on her shoulder as they moved; it not being so hard as the pair were rather tall. Allie being 5"8, and Isla being 5"10.

The truth behind what she was saying had taken her by surprise a little. It wasn't often that Isla would say such large amounts in one go, but when she did, they meant everything. They were all anyone could hope to hear in the given moment. It was wonderful. 

"Thank you." 

"Anything for my girl." Isla nudged her slightly, kicking at the stones she passed by. With it being mid November, there was the occasional batch of fleet which would disintegrate or turn to mush the moment it came in contact with the ground.

As much as Isla hated the way the mush felt and looked; all grey and grubby. She had to admit that it always meant good things were coming. Snow. Snow was a good example.

She adored it. 

"So, what's up with you and George?" Alleta grinned over at Isla, having noted how her two friends were getting rather flirty with one another.

"Oh Blake, wouldn't you like to know." Isla smirked, yanking her arm away and running off in the direction of the castle, her laughs carrying in the wind.

"Pissface." Finding herself muttering the mild swear, she chased after her friend. Keeping one hand clutched to her hat, her dark hair blowing behind her, tangling from the breeze.

And just for the moment, the tournament was forgotten. All was normal.

-

"Bloody hell." Fred grimaced, watching as a Hungarian Horntail was brought out and into the arena.

"My thoughts exactly. I can't believe Harry, as in, our Harry, is going up against it."

"Scary." 

"But brilliant! Imagine if that were one of us."

"The bragging rights."

"The girls."

"I would so win."

"Shove off, you wouldn't even have been chosen. It was definitely me." Snorting, George looked over at his brother, who had pulled an 'affronted expression.' 

"Liar. We're both well aware you're too much of a complete twit to have been selected, certainly have an overly small, pea-sized brain."

"Yeah? Well shall we talk about something else that's overly small and pea-sized? You're co-"

George was cut off from what Fred was sure would have been an absolutely delightful statement, by the fanfares.

The Horntail had been secured and Harry had entered the rocky area. He appeared dazed, as per usual. His gaze was skittish and he seemed to be struggling to grasp the reality before him. Not giving him a minute, his dragon was immediately on him, pouncing forward with an eruption of poker red flames.

"Fuck!" Fred laughed, shaking his head, eyes wild with excitement. "Poor lad." He leaned forward, watching with renewed intensity. So long as either Harry or Cedric won, he would be happy. He was mates with both anyway, not to mention it was a Hogwarts win with whichever one.

Harry had darted behind a rock and was seemingly deciding to stay there. Alright..

You would think the boy would have had some sort of plan established.

Well, not his own one. No, everyone and their mother's aunt knew that Harry Potter was not Ravenclaw material.

His best friend other than Ron, Hermione Granger. Bloody genius, that girl. If Harry truly didn't have a plan than there must be something up with them as a group again. Fred would put money on the fact that at the very least, once a year, his younger brother and his mates had some sort of argument between them. And they weren't mild either. They lasted for months, leaving the third friend in a rather uncomfortably awkward proposition.

Truthfully, Fred found it to be hilarious and he paid far more attention to the state of their group than he would care to admit.

Before he was able to doubt or consider everything that could have happened between the three younger students, Harry's firebolt came soaring through and towards him, only for him to jump on it and fly into the air.

"Granger!" George shouted down a couple roads, to where the Gryffindor girl was stood. She turned to glance up at the two of them with a curious expression. "Absolute genius!" They gave a simultaneous thumbs up, receiving a laugh from her, before the three of them returned their focus back onto the event.

Though there wasn't much for them to watch, as Harry had flown off and out of the arena; closely followed by the Horntail. They were gone from view.

The entire stadium silenced for a few minutes, before the hushed whispers began to creep in. It was offputting, not being able to see what was going on and how Harry was faring against his dragon. 

During all of this, Fred made a point of having a mental note to go to the infirmary to find Cedric later on. He knew it was unlikely that Alleta and Isla would be back for a while after the last task, so their friend might appreciate a quick visit in waiting for the girl's return.

He also found that his thoughts wandered over to Alleta and the way she had been gripping the sleeve of his jacket all throughout the first part of the task.

She had been seeking solace in him, something that refused to wipe the stupid grin from his face. Her small gasps and the way she leaned into his side, despite George being the one with his arm around her shoulders.

All of it just combined together, filling him with an unexplainable sort of happiness. Fred did not quite understand why this all meant so much to him; being able to be there for her when she needed him. But it did. And he wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to feel about that.

She was pretty too, he supposed. Though it wasn't all her appearance that drew him to her. It was the way she laughed. The very unladylike snort. And how she would scrunch her nose in disgust or confusion. Or her dimples that showed when he was able to make her happy.

Pulling a face at his own thoughts, Fred sighed. George was almost convinced that he had a crush on Lettie. 

It wasn't a completely unprecedented assumption.

Since the age of eleven, upon his first meeting with Lettie, George was able to tell that Fred wanted to show off to her.

He didn't- doesn't- know what that means.

But he had never been particularly subtle in having tried to gain her attentions, though he always failed. He never knew how he could have been more obvious. But it didn't matter now. 

The two were friends. And she made him a better person.

"Fred, look!" Angelina pointed with a wide grin, having moved to stand beside him. Low and behold, Harry Potter came flying back in on his broom.

Cheers erupted from the stadium, Fred and George being leading ones. Both of them unintentionally pumping a fist into the air, purely out of delight and relief.

Harry swooped down, picking up the egg. He had the biggest smile of pride and satisfaction on his face, rightfully so. The boy hoisted the egg in the air; the gold glinting off of the cold, winter's sun in the reflection.

About ten minutes of celebration passed, the Horntail having been reigned in and contained once more; which proved to be plenty more challenging than the others, seeing as it had quite literally snapped it's chains off, having torn itself away.

Rather impressive if you were to ask Fred.

He could see why Charlie loved being around dragons so much.

They were strong, much more intelligent than given credit for, and beautiful creatures.

But he didn't think that he, himself, would be able to survive one. He was far too much of a risk taker. Would probably end up dead within the first couple of days, if not the first.

Soon enough, the rankings were announced through the speakerphones.

"Tied first place... Harry Potter and Viktor Krum!"

Hoots and loud calls were to be heard, mainly from the Hogwarts lot. Thank fuck. Fred grimaced at the thought of losing to Durmstrang, especially in the first task. He could only imagine Lettie's reaction; disgust.

"And then second place.. Cedric Diggory!"

"Yes Ced!"

"We knew it!"

"Good on you mate!"

Their little group yelled out cheering words, grinning widely. Cedric would no doubt be pleased. Especially after the burning incident. This was a good placing.

"Which gives us our third placer... Fleur Delacour!"

The support from the stands continued, but one look at each other and Fred and George nodded, grinning. They bid a quick goodbye to both Angelina and Lee, turning to hurry out of the stadium and down the large hill.

"This was nasty to climb up earlier, by the way." George groaned, struggling to keep his back straight as the two of them staggered down the steep hill at a semi - steady pace. 

"Ugh I know. Alleta and I were running late so we had to sprint it up here." He pulled a face of complete and utter disgust, looking over at his brother and rolling his eyes. "It killed me. You would think that after all of the bloody stairs in Hogwarts, I would be able to complete one stinking hill without being left sweaty and gross." 

Snorting at his brother's tone, George raised an eyebrow over at him. "You and Alleta, eh?" He teased.

"Bugger off, she's my mate. I was with her earlier because she was worrying about Cedric and everything that was happening today. I figured I would try and comfort her, I think it worked too." Fred admitted, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth and stifle a yawn. 

"Well if that's the case, Angelina mentioned earlier that she has a bit of a thing for you. Wants you to take her to that Yule Ball thing or whatever. I mean blimey mate. We don't even know anything about that stupid ball yet and the pressure to get dates has started. End me now." Groaning, George dramatically stumbled back against his twin, shutting his eyes and pretending to faint drastically.

"Don't talk to me about dancing. I can't handle it. Between you and me, I'm shit at it." Fred cupped his mouth with one hand, whispering over loudly.

"Between you and me.. I know." George snorted, releasing a heavy sigh of relief when the eventually reached the bottom, and his toes were, now no longer pushing up against the ends of his trainers.

"But obviously, if anyone asks. I'm flawlessly skilled. You have never seen anything like it. It is truly magnificent."

"Why of course, Freddie. Same goes for me. Can't have anyone questioning or ruining our street cred, now can we?"

"No of course not. That's, to put it simply, a war crime."

"Okay but real talk now."

Catching Fred's attention, he looked beside him as they walked, almost step in step. "Go on then. We haven't got all day." He joked lightly, always feeling put off slightly upon hearing the words 'real' and 'talk' in the same sentence. Especially with a mother like Molly Weasley. Whenever she wanted to 'talk' it was always. And he meant always. To lull him and George into a false sense of security, by pretending that everything would be okay and then bam! she knew about one of their pranks.

It was, without fail, terrifying.

"Calm down Freddie, no need to get so tense." George teased. "All I was going to point out is that there is a very, very likely chance one of the Weasley brother's will be sent those dress robes."

Fred froze.

"You don't mean-"

"Oh but I do." He smirked. "Do you never pay attention to when mum is sorting out the loft and is getting angry at the lack of spells to unpick salt from sugar because it turns out she spilt some old bags?"

"Shockingly enough, no." Fred's tone was dry as he watched his brother with a raised eyebrow, unsure of what he wanted him to do.

"Either way. She must have known about it before we came to school, because I remember the box."

"The box?" His face went shockingly pale.

"The box, Freddie. Mum is going to send someone the robes that look like Great Aunt Tessie's."

Both boys pulled faces and grimaced in utter disgust. They were the most horrendous dress robes to grace the planet with their existence.

Fred had actually tried burning them in his third year.

Molly made him wear them to a family gathering. George might still have the pictures.

"Swear you'll do whatever you can to make sure Ron ends up with them?" George looked over at him, spitting into his right hand.

"On my grave." Fred nodded, spitting into his left and shaking their hands.

"I really need to stop instigating those handshakes. They're vile." The twin ran a hand through his hair, holding the other one out, that now had his twin's spit on it.

"You're vile." Winking, Fred sighed and nodded. "But no, you really should. Because your spit is not something I like. It's quite disgusting actually." 

With that, they laughed and made their way into Hogwarts, leaving behind the stadium and all those watching the game. Leaving Hogwarts eerily quiet.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	9. chapter eight

November 24th, 1994

About 2 hours later, Alleta walked into the infirmary with a bag of sweets. Isla had already been to see Cedric. She went right after they returned from Hogsmeade, but he had been knocked out cold, having been given a sedative of sorts from Madame Pomfrey. Fred and George had just left by the time she had arrived too. She wasn't sure why, but the knowledge of that had taken her by surprise. It wasn't that they didn't seem the sorts to care, more so that she thought they would have been back in the Gryffindor common room helping Harry to celebrate.

Considering Cedric's sleeping state, she had decided to wait until it was likely he was awake, or at least, somewhat recovered. It didn't seem fair to go to him before he was ready, ultimately helping him to overexert himself. That would have been a slightly questionable move.

Entering the room, she was greeted with low mutterings of people sat by muggle-looking hospital beds. There were people in there from mild things, such as nosebleeds, but also with broken bones. A couple of years ago, Alleta had taken a fall down the moving staircases and was left with a broken leg and a fractured wrist. It certainly was not fun. 

Although, the actual broken bones didn't last too long; thank fuck for magic. None of her mates had let her live it down. It had been quite an embarrassing moment for her. One that still gets brought up to this day. 

At the far end of the infirmary, lay the all too familiar brunette boy. The yellow house colours on his sports wear was striking, capturing her attention. He was awake and sat up, sipping at what she could only assume to be an elixir of sorts. His burns were faded and almost non existent; the burn healing paste had clearly done it's job.

"Hey Ced." Allie smiled down at him, moving to sit on the wooden chair by his bedside, placing the bag on her lap.

Cedric raised an eyebrow at said bag, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth upon recognising the shop's logo. "You went to Hogsmeade didn't you?" The tone of his voice was light, seemingly unaffected by what had happened earlier. Though that was him. He never would dwell on anything; always did his best to keep a smile on his face. It was something that Alleta was both admiring and envious of.

"Now what makes you think that is any concern of yours?"

"Because I smell a pumpkin pasty. And pumpkin pasties are my favourites. Which would be awfully coincidental and cruel of you to bring one to my hospital bed, if you weren't giving it to me." 

"You make too many assumptions, you know that right? For that, I might just eat it for myself."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh but I would and we both know it."

"That's nasty."

Seeing him crack a grin, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and Alleta visibly lost the tension that had kept her relatively stiff. "Fine. Here. Isla and I got you some other bits too." She plunked the bag on the top of the bed covers, unloading all of the sweet treats, and watching Cedric's face light up with joy.

It was extremely amusing.

Food was the only thing he ever needed to be kept sated. 

"You, Alleta Harriet Blake, are all anyone could ever want." He winked, reaching down and grabbing the pasty with a groan. Due to both the tinfoil and a heat spell kept on it, it had remained a comfortable warmth. She found herself suddenly wishing she had bought another. 

"I thought we already covered that."

"I felt like it was necessary for it to be said again, wouldn't you agree? It needed emphasis."

"Mhm, alright. Scooch over." Alleta grabbed a chocolate frog, waiting for him to move over to the side a little, before she climbed onto the bed, sitting up beside him.

While she unwrapped the chocolate frog, she glanced up at Cedric, reaching out to brush her fingertips over the faint marks on his face. "Are you alright? Did it hurt?" She asked him gently, drawing back and resting her head back against the metal headboard of the white, medical bed.

"Honestly? It's not that bad. Like, of course it hurt when I actually got burned by the flames. They were bloody boiling. But now, it's pretty much back to normal, just stings a bit."

Listening to him with a relatively neutral expression, she nodded and looked to the table that sat next to the bed. On the top of it, and next to a glass of water, lay the tube of burn paste. "It is likely an exaggeration, but I have and always will say this, Madame Pomfrey is a medical genius." 

"As you have said multiple times. You would think you'd have professed your love for the woman by now." Cedric nudged her, covering his grin by taking a large bite of the pasty. It tasted just like it always did. Absolutely delicious. He could not imagine a single person disliking them.

"Second thought, I should probably go and do that soon. I think somebody has snatched her up already though." Furrowing her brow and pouting playfully, Alleta caught the chocolate frog before it was able to jump away and escape her clutched. She turned around the card and audibly groaned. "Dumbledore. Again. The man's great and all, but I don't need 57 cards all with his face on. It's getting ridiculous. You want it?"

"I'll pass, believe it or not, I have 78 with him. You need him more than I do." He laughed, looking at their headmaster in the card, and taking it from her fingers, placing it facing downwards on the table. 

He wasn't sure what it was about the cards, but they had creeped him out since childhood. He never used to understand where they went when they left the frame. Cedric had managed to convince himself that the people were hiding somewhere in his room watching him and getting ready to pounce. Pounce on what? Or why, he still did not know.

Of course, now he knew it to be a completely irrational fear. 

But the foundations for it where still there.

Glancing beside him at Alleta, who had gone into an in depth recount of all of her chocolate frog cards and collection, he smiled. Sometimes she would just completely lose herself in what she was saying and could, realistically, talk for hours about something before someone would stop her.

Only just realising that he had been staring at her when she abruptly closed her mouth, narrowing her eyes over at him in mock suspicion. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just funny when you go on and talk like that." 

"Talk like what?" Alleta laughed, watching him curiously, before taking a bite out of the chocolate; savouring the delicious taste. While others claimed not to like chocolate because it was basic or boring, she adored it. Cliche as it was, when she came to Hogwarts for the first time, chocolate made her feel at home again. It was as normal as she was going to get, and she trusted it. 

"Like nothing else matters. You're always in your own little world and it's cute."

Cute. Why did he say cute? Cedric grimaced at his word choice and gnawed on the inside of his cheek.

Neither of them liked each other in that way anymore, but the reminder that they once did washed over them, making Alleta all too aware of how close their bodies were pressed together. 

Clearing her throat, Alleta brushed it off; knowing he meant nothing by it than complimentary. She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. 

"I still hate that you entered this stupid tournament, you know." She told him, with a very 'matter of fact' type of tone.

"I know." Cedric muttered, moving to wrap an arm around her shoulder.

"Promise you won't die or do anything stupid?" 

"I'll do my best." He chuckled, poking her in the ribs playfully, and grinning at her gasp of outrage. "But I highly doubt it'll happen. I'm too quick for their tricks." 

"Keep telling yourself that mate." Alleta rolled her eyes, biting back her smile. "Do you reckon you're going to be in here tomorrow? Shall I bring you notes from Transfiguration and Ancient Runes?"

"I don't actually know. Let's say that if you see me in class, then shocker, no, don't take notes. But if I'm not there, do take notes."

Giving a quiet laugh at his dry remark, Alleta nodded. "Fine. I can work with that, I suppose. It might be a tad challenging, but I'm sure someone will be willing to help me."

"That's what I thought. It might be a little hard to wrap your head around. Though I did make it as simple as I possible could. I catered it to your needs."

"And it was much appreciated."

"Oh hey, I noticed you and Fred were rather touchy with one another during the tournament." Cedric winked.

"I grabbed his sleeve when i was worried, there is nothing more." She rolled her eyes, laughing. Despite her and Fred only having gotten close during the last month, month and a half, people were already speculating. It was ridiculous. Was it so unbelievable that a guy and a girl could be friends and nothing more?

"I don't believe you." He raised his voice in a sing-song, teasing manner, which only resulted in Alleta lightly whacking his chest, and a pointed glare from one of Madame Pomfrey's nurses, due to the noise and volume they were talking at.

The two exchanged a guilty look and restrained their laughter, both oblivious to the redhead who had walked in.

Fred had been watching Alleta and Cedric converse with a slight smile. They were clearly very close and it was sweet. He had come to the infirmary to invite Alleta to the party in his common room later on. He would have happily extended the invitation to Cedric but there was the house rivalry to consider, and he had heard through the grapevine, that a bunch of his Hufflepuff mates would be surprising him in the infirmary with decorations and food and music, as it would have been cleared of other patients by that point.

While he was doing so, Fred had left George to finish developing their new Canary Creams.. Or was it Jabberwocky Jam tarts? He could not remember which of the two they had eventually settled on. Something that he should probably have figured out, or he would risk unintentionally turning someone into a canary if they lost sight of them for a moment; which, while absolutely hilarious, would not be ideal.

They were going to get them ready while the rest of their house prepared for the celebratory party in the Gryffindor common room.

Ignoring the weird twinge in his chest at the sight of Alleta pressed up beside the Hufflepuff, he strolled over, both hands pushed into the front pockets of his jeans. Greeting them with a grin, and receiving two in return, Fred made eye contact with the girl, his grin softening into a small, almost shy, smile.

"Lettie, hey! We're having a celebratory party in the Gryffindor Common room in a bit, and I wanted to know if you would be up for coming?" 

Her heart thundering, Alleta pointedly ignored Cedric and what he thought he knew, that was so clearly expressed in the smug smile on his face. Glancing up at Fred, looking into his warm, brown eyes, she hesitated slightly.

"Uhm.. I wouldn't mind that actually. Ced, are you going to be okay here?" She turned to look back at Cedric, who simply raised an eyebrow, as if to say 'Are you kidding?'

"Go, I'll be perfectly fine." He reassured her, kissing her cheek platonically.

"Oh and Diggory, don't like the other's know, as I truly believe they would kill me. You Hufflepuff's are scarier than I thought. But a bunch of your lot is planning on coming over here later, sneaking bits from the kitchen, etc.." Fred winked at the boy, who's eyes had lit up in delight.

"Okay, I'll go." Ruffling Cedric's hair, she stood up and stretched out with a quiet groan, flushing and taking off her hat; having forgotten about it. Alleta ran her fingers through her knotted locks and moved to stand beside Fred.

"Bye Allie, don't do anything I wouldn't do." 

"Piss off Ced."

Shaking her head, both of them laughed and she waved, walking off with Fred and leaving the infirmary.

"Feeling better now?" The Gryffindor asked her, hanging his arm loosely around her shoulders as they walked. 

"Much, thanks. He's normal and fine. Complete unaffected." Alleta folded her arms across her chest, hugging the coat around her as, despite being inside, the castle was still large and drafty; especially in early winter. "But thank you, by the way. For not getting annoyed at my stressing. God knows you probably should have." 

"Don't worry about it Lets, it's fine. I'll be there for the next two tasks as well, don't you worry." He told her, shrugging nonchalantly. It really wasn't a major thing. That's what friends did for one another. "Oh, and I'll wait for you by the portrait of the Fat Lady, that way you can get in no problem. Come around 7, I'd say."

"Brilliant, thank you. Time for me to see if you Gryffindor's really are the rowdy, obnoxious jocks that the rest of us have stereotyped you as." She teased him lightly, nudging her elbow into his side.

"You'll be surprised." Fred smirked. "And likewise. It's time for me to see if you Ravenclaw lot are the stuck-up, pompous arseholes everyone says." 

Scoffing in mock offence, Alleta turned her head to face the other way, though her dimples gave away the smile.

Poking the one on the right, Fred immediately jumped back, laughing out when she turned to narrow her eyes at him. "Stop!" Alleta attempted to keep her voice steady and with a straight face, though she did struggle, and the laughter crept in.

"Oh look at that, we're at the Ravenclaw tower. Bye." He smirked and messed up her hair, once again, before jogging off backwards, giving her a teasing salute.

"Dickhead." Smiling down at her feet, she made her way up the tower and reached the portrait, answering the riddle.

Time to get ready for the party.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	10. chapter nine

November 24th, 1994

She didn't know what to wear.

And she was almost positive that she was entirely overthinking it.

It was nearing 6:30 and Alleta was still stood in the coat and scarf she had been wearing all day, while she looked into her wardrobe. "Isla." She whined, clambering onto her friends bed and lying down on her front, looking up at her.

"Your favourite ripped skinny jeans, that burgundy sweatshirt with the collar and trainers. Go for simple." Her usual smirk was there, having designed her friend's outfit without taking her eyes off of the pages in front of her. She wasn't keen on going, so she was simply planning to stay in and finish off a couple of assignments; but that did not mean she had to be boring and refuse to help Alleta. 

Judging off what she knew Gryffindors were like, she could tell it would be quite laid back and certainly not formal attire. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Grabbing her cheeks, Alleta planted a kiss on her forehead, beaming. She hopped off the bed, moving back over to the wardrobe and finding the clothes that she had said. Isla had a knack for figuring out what went well together, or were the most suitable for certain events. Something that Allie could only dream of. She envied the talent and constantly made good use of it.

After quickly stripping down, she pulled on the jeans and the sweatshirt over her underwear; straightening out the collar. Sitting down by a mirror, she ran her slender fingers through her hair, untangling it so it fell in a mixture of waves and curls down to her mid back.

She parted her hair into two sections and selected three strands; separating them, beginning dutch braids. It took her around 10 minutes, and in doing so, she was humming softly under her breath, while Isla read out her book.

Felicity and Tessa came in, giggling and whispering about what she could only assume was yet another piece of gossip. The two of them looked over at where Alleta and Isla were, with matching grins. 

"What have you found out this time?" Isla teased, still not taking her eyes off the book in front of her. She was reading a muggle book about detectives and murders; something or other. but she had not put it down for hours, and would occasionally release a gasp or groan, the latter accompanied by her placing it front down on her face and lying in silence for a good few minutes.

It was extremely amusing and made for wonderful entertainment.

Finishing off her hair, she pulled out a few strands to frame her face and stood, pulling on her converse, not too fussed about applying any makeup; it was too much effort for what it was worth. Besides, they were only Gryffindors. 

Felicity grabbed Alleta by her wrist and pulled her down, the four of them congregating on Isla's bed; Amari was presumably off somewhere canoodling with Jacob.

"Fine. I can tell that you are practically bursting at the seams. Spill." Alleta grinned, noticing Isla sitting up, her book now put to the side. Well that was a first.

Exchanging an expression of something that Alleta wasn't quite able to interpret, Tessa began.

"Okay, so you know Angelina Johnson, right?" Her tone in itself was overly eager, as if it was a struggle to contain the news. When Tessa got like this, you simply knew it was going to be good. Neither Tessa nor Felicity ever disappointed.

"Yes, she's the Gryffindor chaser, isn't she?" Isla's eyebrows raised out of curiousity. Any Gryffindor gossip was usually milling around the school within minutes.

"That's it, her!"

"Anyway, what Tess is trying to get at-" Felicity shot her friend a pointed look. "Is that Angelina told Katie Bell, who told Alicia Spinnet, who told Kenneth Towler, who told Roger Davis, you know Roger right? He's in our house. Either way, Roger told me and also Lee Jordan, who then went and told George Weasley, that Angelina is completely into Fred Weasley."

Taking one look at each other, both Alleta and Isla burst out into laughter at the way Felicity had recounted the story. "You simply could have told us that Angelina is into Fred but wasn't this common knowledge anyway? Like, everybody knew about it." Alleta tilted her head, bringing her feet up onto the bed so she could finish tying her laces, ignoring their protests.

"Aha! But here's the catch. Roger also heard from Terry Boot, the fourth year, that his older brother-"

"Christ almighty Lissie, cut to the point." Tessa snorted, nudging the blonde playfully. 

"Fine! Alright! I was pretty much there anyway!" She glared, shaking her head with a 'tutting' noise. This was the Felicity nobody outside of their dormitory saw, and she was brilliant. "As i was saying, Terry Boot's older brother Daniel, he's in our year. He's apparently into Angelina, and wants to ask her to the Yule Ball next month."

"I really don't see how this is ground-breaking information?" Isla moved to rest her chin on Alleta's shoulder, yawning.

"Remember how the news Angelina was into Fred ended up reaching George? Well according to Lee, who I'm actually alright friends with! We sit together in charms and he's quite nice, just the other day actually, he-"

"Derailing." Tessa scolded lightly.

"Right, of course. George told Fred and Katie Bell, the 6th year who is good friends with Angelina because of Quidditch, overheard him talking about how she was a right sort and all that and that he might ask her to the Yule Ball!"

Alleta's heart dropped.

Why? She wasn't sure.

But it did, and she immediately schooled her expression from one, most likely of shock and perhaps hurt, to one that was full of intrigue.

"Has Fred actually spoken to Angelina about this? Because from what I can tell, there's simply alot of through the grape-vining going on and not alot of genuine communication on either part." Isla did her best not to look over at Alleta, wanting to see her reaction. She knew her friend had gotten quite close with Fred over the past couple of months, and especially with how she already suspected that she had the slight crush on him, Isla wanted to make sure she was alright.

But she knew Alleta would never admit to her feelings, especially if it meant potentially getting in the way of someone else and a relationship. 

"Well no, not yet. But the big thing to take away from this is the love triangle! Poor Daniel has no chance with Angelina, especially not if Fred ends up asking her to the ball. Maybe I should let him know that I'll go with him if she says no or he's too afraid to ask. I didn't want to go with anyone anyway, guys are just ugh. No thank you. And Felicity was going to go with Louise, which oh god, Lissie, you need to tell me what colour dress you're wearing so i can help Lou with hers because-"

Turning away from Tessa and Felicity, who were now in a full blown conversation over dresses and dates and the stress of how they should do their hair, Alleta plastered a smile at Isla, who was watching her carefully.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked, her tone gently, as if afraid to say one wrong thing, else it backfire and sound like she was being bitchy.

"About what?" Allie asked her, feigning innocence. She knew exactly what the dark haired girl was thinking and while it may be true in this case, she had never been one for sharing her feelings about guys. In particular, ones who her friends had thought she was into for years.

"Come on, Allie, we both know what. It's okay to admit that yo-"

"Fine. No. No I would not like to talk about it." Interrupting her, Alleta winced at her tone and rubbed her temple with her index and forefinger. "I'm sorry, I'm just- Well, I'm just confused. It's nothing personal." 

"I understand but maybe it's worth talking to him later.. About the whole Angelina thing. See where he stands with it, etc..."

Of course, the other two tune back in for this. It was obvious from the way they straightened out a little, words hushed and ears practically screaming for information. 

Bloody gossip mill, if she were to say anything else in regards to the situation it would be common knowledge by this point the next day. 

Isla had clearly noticed and made eye contact, rolling her own with a slight smile. "You had better be off, Allie! It's 6:50, weren't you supposed to be there for 7?"

"Fuck, not again." She was going to be late. What a shock.

"Bye love."

"Bye!" Grabbing her wand; she never left it behind, you could never be certain when you may need it, Allie rushed off, out of the dorm room and down the spiralled staircase of one of the Ravenclaw towers.

What with the bloody moving staircases (who the fuck thought those would be a good idea anyway?) and the Gryffindor common room practically on the other side of the castle, she would be at least 10 minutes late.

Granted, the twins were getting used to her habit of being late, having constantly been teased about it by them. But she still hated it, making a constant effort to improve. It never paid off. At this rate, she could bet that somehow she would find a way to be late to her own funeral.

By the time she reached the entrance to the common room, strands of flyaway hair had fallen from her braids and into her face, her collar was knocked askew and she was slightly flushed.

Standing by the picture frame, tapping his watch with a crooked smirk, stood Fred Weasley.

"Only 12 minutes late. I'm impressed. Lucky for you, It doesn't kick off until 7:30."

Casting him a look of indignation and confusion, Alleta walked closer, smoothing herself down.

"Yes, Lettie. I gave you an early time. You are so predictable, of course I couldn't trust you to be on time."

"You twat! You could at least pretend to have faith in me!" Her usual pretence of hurt was cast over her face and she whacked him on the shoulder.

"Would you rather have been actually late and then felt guilty about it all night?"

"Well-"

"Exactly! If anything, I did you a favour."

"Ah yes, of course. Your lack of belief is truly inspiring."

"Bugger off. It's not that dramatic."

"Cow." Alleta mumbled, scuffing her shoes against the stone floor; lowering her head so he couldn't see the small smile.

"Cow? Cow? Did you seriously just call me a cow!" His eyes were wide with laughter and he snorted, shaking his head. "You are something else Blake. Who the fuck insults someone by calling them a cow?"

"Me. I do. And you're a cow. The biggest cow I have ever met. Moo." She rolled her eyes, her tone dry. "Let's just go in." Taking a moment to appreciate the way he looked; loose jeans, a Gryffindor hoodie and trainers, she was glad Isla had told her to go casual. Not only did Fred look slightly more attractive than usual, with his mussed up hair, too big Quidditch hoodie and 'no-care' typa vibe, she felt comfortable.

"Moo!" Fred barked out a laugh, slinging an arm around her shoulders loosely. "Wait until George hears about this." He told the Fat Lady the password, leading Alleta into the common room.

"Don't you dare! George will never leave off about it. You're bad enough on your own!" Her protests were soon drowned out by the laughter.

"Hm.. I'll consider it."

"Weasley. Don't make me write to your mother."

Fred turned a look of pure horror at her. "And have your first letter to her be about me teasing you? She would kill me! She loves you alrea-" He cut himself off, clamping his mouth shut, finding himself unable to prevent the rising flush along his cheekbones.

"She loves me, eh? And how does she know I exist?" A smirk pulled the corner of her mouth up and she nudged him in the side playfully, her eyes spying another flash of red in the crowd and getting distracted. "Georgie!" Hurrying over, Alleta left their conversation and began talking to the other Weasley.

Releasing a sigh of relief, Fred took a minute to compose himself. Sure, maybe he had mentioned Alleta in a couple of his letters to his mum. Big deal. Okay, so it was probably more accurately every letter since the detention all those weeks ago. And perhaps Molly, being Molly, was insisting on knitting one of her famous jumpers for the girl for Christmas. Certainly something he wouldn't admit to even George, the fact he told their mum about a girl he was nothing but mates with. Hell, he hadn't even told her about Angelina. What was up with him?

As Angelina crossed his mind, he scanned the crowds for her. The two were supposedly 'into' each other, or so 6th years resident gossips were spreading. He knew the girl liked him, she had told him explicitly and he agreed to go on a date with her this weekend in Hogsmeade. But as of now, Fred wasn't sure he felt the same way.

Was it mean to go on a date with her if that was the case? He didn't know, but there was no harm in trying something new, right?

Pushing through the people, he went to stand by George and Alleta, about to speak when Harry turned up, clutching the golden egg in his hands. Exchanging a grin with his twin, the two of them grabbed him, hoisting him up and laughing at the sound of surprise Potter made.

People were cheering and chanting for Harry, who wore a proud grin. 

"Who wants me to open it?" Harry called out, only to be responded to with more cheers.

"I said, who wants me to open it!" This time, both Fred and George pushed him up higher in the air, wincing at the volume of support he was receiving. A far cry from the dirty looks and muttered insults that were being directed at the boy earlier that day.

With a wide grin, Harry grabbed the top of the egg by the knob, of sorts, and twisted it open. The room was filled with a piercing screeching noise, causing Fred to loosen his grip and Harry to stumble out of their arms, all of them scrambling to cover their ears.

Before anyone was able to properly react or process the noises, Harry had managed to close the egg, the newfound silence was deafening, as everyone stood up hesitantly, eyeing the golden object with distrust.

Ron then appeared from another doorway "Bloody hell, what's going on in here?" He groaned, looking around and making eye contact with Harry, who shifted uncomfortably, clutching onto the egg.

"Right well, everyone, clear out for a moment."

"This'll be awkward enough without you nosy sods listening in." The twins spoke, watching in amusement as the younger boys began to talk, skirting around each other with their words. It was extremely funny.

Turning back to Alleta, Fred led her down to a couch by the fire, flopping himself on it and grabbing her wrist, pulling her down, his gaze catching on her outfit. She looked.. Pretty? Well, she always did but he wasn't sure, something felt different. Off, even. He couldn't quite place his finger on it. 

"I may have gotten Freddie to say it was a party, but it was really more of a general gathering. The both of us just wanted you to come so you could see our new product." George admitted with a cheeky glint in his eyes, sitting on the other side of the Ravenclaw.

Fred rolled his eyes, doing his best not to draw attention to the fact that just moments ago he had been admiring her appearance. "You aren't supposed to tell her that we exaggerated! That defeats the whole purpose you ninny." He scoffed blithely.

"Shut up, I thought she would appreciate the fact we like her."

"Like me? Oh I feel so honoured." Alleta chimed in, breaking up the two, smiling up at George and patting his cheek. "It's alright Weasley, I prefer you to Fred anyway." She told him, exchanging an amused expression at Fred's grumble under the breath.

"Anyway, what was the product you wanted to show me?"

"Oh that!"

"It's a rather good idea if you ask me." Fred smirked.

"They're called custard canaries."

"Custard... Canaries?" Allie's words were hesitant and she watched them with an odd smile.

"Yes! You see, when you eat them you turn into a-"

"Canary! Neville's turned himself into a bloody canary!" Their younger sister, Ginny, exclaimed from the other end of the common room.

The three 6th years immediately snapped their heads over in Neville's direction; only to find themselves greeted by a giant, yellow canary.

"You idiot! You left them over there!" George burst out laughing, getting up from where he was sat.

"Shit! I thought I left the Jabberwocky Jams instead."

Jabberwocky Jams.... She didn't even want to know.

Fred and George hurried over, guilt expressions on their faces despite their howls of laughter as they figured out how to de-transfigure the poor boy.

"Sorry mate.!"

"That was entirely out fault."

"Free puking pastilles for a month."

"On us!"

Watching as Neville agree, joining in on the laughter with a wide smile, Alleta moved over to join the group, snorting right away at one of their jokes.

The night passed in a blue and she had completely forgotten to talk to Fred about Angelina Johnson. 

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	11. chapter ten

December 3rd, 1994

Nine days went by. And it was now December 3rd. 

Cedric spent those nine days scrambling for any inkling of what the clue could be or what it could mean. How could banshee-like screams be of any assistance to the next task? Banshees were native to Ireland anyway. They would never put one into the tournament, it was too much hassle. Right? Although, to be entirely fair, the dragons had been brought over from Norway.

Making a mental note to conduct some further research into banshees and anything that could be used as a defensive tactic against them, Hufflepuff's golden boy hurried into the great hall, having made sure to leave the egg safely tucked away under his bed. Thankfully it was a Saturday, which spared him plenty of time after breakfast to spend in the library. 

Despite the fact it was a Hogsmeade day, he found that he wasn't too fussed about going. It was nothing he hadn't seen before and this clue could potentially be considered a life or death situation.

Yeah, he wasn't massively keen on the 'death' aspect to that.

The hall was almost empty at this point, just a few stragglers and late risers. Most students were out and on their way to the local village by 9 AM, wanting to get the freshly stocked Honeydukes sweets and most popular Zonkos supplies; he could imagine Fred and George having queued up for hours just to fill their stash, making more of their weird, but useful snacks.

Sitting on the cold bench at his house table, Cedric scanned the halls, surprised to see Alleta still sat over by the Ravenclaws. His interest was immediately spiked at the confused expression on her face. It was less of an 'I don't understand this homework assignment' confused and more of a 'Why did I think that.' 

She was always amusing when she was in these moods. Talking his ear off more than usual.

Grabbing the plate of food -piles upon piles of pastries- he stood and made his way over to the girl. She didn't look like she would be going out today; still dressed in what looked like her pyjamas. A large black hoodie and loose, cotton trousers. 

"Modelling for Vogue today, I assume." 

Snapping her gaze up, Alleta grinned, a true, happy one. "Bog off." She mumbled, taking a swig of orange juice. "How do you even know what that is? It's a muggle magazine." 

"Are you implying that all of us purebloods are ignorant?"

"Not at all. Just that you are."

"Now you're the one who needs to bog off."

Noticing the book she was holding, Cedric furrowed his brow, thinking for a long moment. "Isn't that the one Isla refused to put down for about a month? She kept re-reading it?"

"Yeah." Turning the cover so he could see, it read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. "I managed to convince her to let me borrow it. It's actually not that bad. Drones on sometimes though."

"Huh." Cedric nodded. "Anyway, how come you aren't at Hogsmeade with the rest of them?"

Pausing for a moment, she sighed, putting her book face down and releasing a sheepish laugh. "It's rather silly, really." 

"As if I'm a person to judge. Need I remind you what happened when you came to mine and dad started showing those bloody pict-"

Alleta smirked, cutting him off with a coughed out laugh. "As if I could ever forget that." 

"Moving on."

"You see, it turns out Fred and Angelina are on a date today." Pulling a face, the both of them scrunched their noses at the exact time, resulting in shared amusement.

"Go on." Cedric resisted from audibly groaning. Angelina was lovely. To him. 

She hated Alleta and the close friendship that had developed between her and the twins.

"Well we were all eating breakfast, I was telling Fred that he absolutely should not use one of the bloody Canary Creams on her. The fact I even had to tell him that-" Allie rolled her eyes, a fond smile pulling up the corners of her lips. 

"He was... Going to give the girl a Canary Cream?"

"Hah! That! That is the exact way I said it. He said he thought it would be funny, you know? An ice-breaker of sorts. Sweet, if you think about it."

"Fred, Fred, Fred." Cedric shook his head, chuckling under his breath. 

"I guess I figured it would go better for them if I just stayed here, rather than going around with them, Isla and George. Angelina isn't my biggest fan, god knows why." Shrugging, Alleta finished off her scrambled eggs on toast, checking the time. It was nearing 11. 

"Why don't you and I both go? I was just going to spend today in the library anyway. But it isn't fair that you're missing out. Did you tell Fred why you stayed?"

"No, I didn't want to cause any trouble, I just said to them that I had an assignment, which is true, but it's charms. Truthfully, I can get that done in minutes."

"So? Come to Hogsmeade with me? We can just go get a butterbeer." He offered, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. 

"Ah screw it, why not. It's just you and I. Let me grab my coat."

About to ask why she wouldn't change out of her pyjama bottoms, he stopped at her knowing look.

"Don't say it Diggory. They're comfortable. We're 6th years. I'm so past caring." 

"Alright, well I'll meet you by the courtyard in 10." Biting back his laugh at her outfit, Cedric shook his head to himself and made his way to grab his own coat from his dorms.

-

Rushing down to the courtyard, Alleta had pulled a large, black rain jacket over her hoodie, along with a Ravenclaw scarf. Admittedly, she looked ridiculous, and there was simply no denying that fact. But it was just Cedric. He had seen her first thing in the morning. Frizzed hair and all.

If anyone could stand to be around her after that, she commended them.

"Diggory!" Jumping up behind him, she grabbed his shoulders playfully, giving him a fright and watching as he physically flinched away.

Spinning around to make eye contact with her, Cedric glared half heartedly, beginning to walk in the direction of the village, and out of the castle grounds. "Don't do that Allie!" He nudged her and shook his head. 

"Sorry." Alleta smiled sheepishly. She had forgotten how little he liked being surprised or snuck up on. Having been around the Weasley twins almost every day, she had grown used to the playful aspect of constantly scaring one another, or grabbing their shoulders from behind. It was odd to be reprimanded for it, almost.

Walking in a semi comfortable silence for a while, Alleta realised that her thoughts had been infiltrated by Fred. The little moments the two had shared that left her confused. The light hand touches, flushed cheeks whenever somebody asked them if they were dating, the way he would brush her hair from her face and jokingly braid it. Or the way her stomach did unnerving flips at the sight of him first thing in the morning; sleepy and scuffed up. At least, more so than normal.

Honestly, she had no idea what it meant. Not that it really mattered anymore. He was, after all, dating Angelina. And she didn't want to give the other girl another reason to dislike her, it would be better for them all if she pushed them to the side. Alleta didn't think it bothered her that much to do so, besides, it was likely that it was all just friendship. She liked that. It was comfortable. Normal.

Anyway, she definitely did not want a boyfriend again.

Not so soon after Cedric, and not someone she was already friends with.

Far too much unnecessary drama.

"Oh! I meant to ask you." Bursting through the silence, surprising both of them, Allie looked up at him.

"Yes?" Cedric raised an eyebrow, the amusement etched onto his face was evidence, his fingers clutching at the leather strap of his satchel.

"How is the clue going? Have you gotten any further with it yet?" 

"Ah, yes, of course. At the moment, I'm currently considering looking into banshees. They're native to Ireland, but it isn't too far fetched to believe they could likely provide opposition during the task, or defeating them as the task itself. The screaming is incessant and what I believe a banshee could sound like. Or would that be a bit of stretch? Simply going of screams? I just don't have a clue as to what else it could be or where else I could look." His words were a flustered jumble of justification, almost as if he didn't want Alleta to find him foolish.

"Ced, take a moment the breathe." She teased lightly. "I actually think that is quite a good assumption, and definitely worth looking into. It may end up as a dead end, but there's never any harm in trying something unless you know for certain it's a dud."

"I suppose so. And like you said, there isn't any harm in looking into it. I'm just nervous. It's only been nine days since the first task, and the second isn't until February 24th, but I just know that the time will creep up on me in an instant."

"You will do great. I was only panicked for you in the first task because I hadn't quite grasped the extent your capabilities and was freaking out a little. But after watching you defeat the dragon, I know you can do this. Whatever you may be facing." Allie moved closer to him and grabbed his hand, giving it a light, amicable squeeze.

"This, Allie, this is why you're one of my best friends. When you aren't practically shitting yourself, you're brilliant at reassuring people." 

"I know, I know." She smirked, dramatically flipping her hair in a playful way.

Approaching Hogsmeade, there was an overwhelming chatter and cluster of students from school, most of whom were on their way back to the castle, presumable to complete weekend assignments or hang around the dorms and common rooms with mates.

"Oh thank fuck, we missed the early morning buzz."

"Maybe my delayed decision to have gone was put to good use." Alleta nodded in mutual satisfaction. There was always the nasty period of time around 12, midday on a Saturday, when the village was bustling and overcome with Hogwarts students; mostly the new third years, to whom, Hogsmeade is a novelty. One they are yet to grow used to. Though she knew that she must have been like that once, Alleta found them insufferable. 13 was a dodgy age for anyone really. Unbearable little buggers.

"Butterbeer at the three broomsticks is my suggestion for first thing. Avoid the last minute stragglers and maybe stay for lunch."

"Do you ever not think with your stomach Ced?"

"Oi! You may have had a big breakfast, stress eating and all, but I sacrificed myself to come with you." 

"Well, ugh. Fair enough I guess. But that does not take away from the amount of times you have only ever made decisions based off your hunger levels. Am I right?"

"When? Name one example, Blake. See, you can't."

"That's because you didn't bloody let me finish."

"Neither did you."

"Whe-" Flushing, Alleta cut herself off and cleared her throat, decidedly putting an end to the conversation. Especially at the sight of a rather smug looking Cedric. "That was one time." She mumbled. "And I'd do it again."

"You would?" He chuckled, amusement flickering over his features as he waited for the penny to drop.

Then it did.

Releasing an outward groan of understanding, her cheeks grew redder and she rolled her eyes. "Not like that, you twat. I wouldn't do that again. Just if, on the off chance, I ever went back in time to when we were together, I wouldn't hesitate to not let you finish again. Do you remember what an arse you were being that day?"

"Fine. Yep. Moving on." Cedric found that he wasn't too keen on recounting the parts where he was at fault. It was a small argument, but, he knew Alleta was right in saying he definitely had been a complete and utter dick. 

"That's what I thought." Her bashful expression had returned to it's normal, partially confident one, and she entered the pub, sighing in contentment as the warmth embraced them. 

"Grab us our usual booth and I'll get the drinks."

"On it."

Making her way through the building, Alleta reached a table closer to the back, freezing slightly at who was sat there. 

It was only after staring for a moment did she realise it was George and not Fred.

Her first time mixing them up.

Odd.

At the exact time she took a step over to him, he looked up and broke out a large grin. "Lettie! Isla, look who finally gave up her sulk and decided to join the lads."

"The lads?" Isla, who it turned out was sat on the other side of the table, questioned with an air of gaiety.

Shooting her a playful look, George shuffled over to the other end and beckoned for Alleta to move to sit down. "Oh uhm.. I ended up coming with Cedric actually, he's good to sit here too right? If not no worries, we'll move somewhere else!" Though she wasn't able to think of a reason as to why Cedric wouldn't be wanted there, Allie felt it more polite to ask anyway.

"Of course he can sit. Am I a friendly bastard, or am i a friendly bastard?" Winking, George beckoned again. This time, she found that she happily obliged him.

"Bastard. George's word of the day apparently. He has used it at least once every 10 minutes. It's quite funny actually. He seems to have decided that he just wants to throw it in with every sentence that it could work with. Some that it doesn't; they just don't make much sense."

"As he should."

"God, don't pull a Fred and encourage it Allie! He called our waitress a bastard!" Despite her stern tone, Isla was seemingly struggling to contain her laughter, failing the moment her and George made eye contact.

"Speaking of Fred, I thought you lot were having lunch together?"

"Oh we were, but Angelina convinced him it would be more romantic in Madam Puddifoot's tea shop." George shrugged. 

That was fair, she supposed. The tea shop was less popular with people who weren't explicitly seeing somebody, as it was very pink and full of hear related items. What did surprise her, however, was the absolute power that Angelina must hold with Fred. To get him to go into the tea shop, let alone eat there, well the girl must be a bloody genius.

Angelina may not like her, but that didn't mean Alleta had to be unnecessarily bitchy. In fact, she rather admired her. Especially more so after this.

"Oh you are so never going to let Fred live that one down are you?" Alleta chuckled, looking beside her at the other Weasley twin, who simply smirked into his drink, with one eyebrow raised.

That was a yes.

About to say something else, Cedric made his way over, greeting both George and Isla happily, a warm smile gracing his features as he placed the Butterbeers down on the table for the both of them. He squeezed her shoulder lightly and was easily pulled into a new conversation regarding the new DADA professor; Mad-Eye Moody, and forming conspiracy theories over what he could possibly be drinking.

Alleta's bet was on Firewhiskey. He seemed like the sneaky type. One with an alcohol problem too. 

She certainly wasn't his biggest fan.

Personally, the girl thought he was quite a big of an arsehole. 

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	12. chapter eleven

December 6th, 1994

You know that feeling where everything in the world just fits together perfectly, and it all makes sense, but then something happens. It's just one little thing but it tips and unbalances the scales completely?

That was how Alleta felt about Divination.

It was an atrocious subject.

She was horrifyingly bad at it.

None of it had ever coincided with her perception of logic. Tea leaves, magical cloudy balls and prophecies. All of that nonsensical rubbish.

She felt the same way about it as most muggles felt about maths.

Complete hatred.

Which was why, in Divination, the first Monday after her Hogsmeade trip with Cedric, the brunette was doing her best not to close her eyes and press her forehead against the velvety mauve tablecloth. On her right, sat Isla, and George to the left. They were her only friends in the class, as both Fred and Cedric had point blank refused to take it back when it was offered as an elective.

They had the right idea; something both George and her agreed on. Isla, on the other hand, was fascinated by the subject. She would always obsess over Trelawney's latest prophecy or make Alleta hand over her cup of tea once she was finished with it.

Each to their own, of course. If anything, Allie wished she could be more like that. To have complete faith in something no matter how much others questioned and spoke bad about it.

"Everyone make sure to drink each last drop. You should know how to read tea leaves by now." Their professor spoke in her usual, almost quivering voice.

Exchanging an identical look of boredom, George winked at her, before chugging his tea, much to Trelawney's disappointment. "Mr Weasley. I must admit, your brother Ron, although he is a 4th year, is plenty better at this than you are. And that is saying something indeed, considering the boy is asleep half the time." The woman tutted, yet her words led to many surrounding them, including Alleta and Isla, to snicker.

Simply rolling his eyes and leaning back in the chair, George released a light sigh with a shake of the head. He and Fred were always being compared to any of their brothers, even Ginny now she was at the school. He had heard it all and by now it was growing rather tiresome.

With Trelawney's attention having averted elsewhere, the three students looked down at their cups, doing their best to identify the shapes or signs the tea leaves had left. Unfortunately for Isla, despite having a love for the subject, she wasn't particularly gifted in the arts of Divination. Hell, even Alleta was better at it than she was; something she always liked to remind her friend in a light, yet taunting manner.

Alternatively, George was rather good at it. Though it wasn't something anyone, including the spindly professor, had ever really caught on to. Nor was it something he was overly keen on advertising.

"Alright, let's take a look at what the leaves foretell " His tone was slightly mocking, and one that made Alleta bite back a laugh.

"Well in yours George, I can see a... tomato? I don't know, it's like a sort of circular thing with spiky stalk things on the top of it." Isla pulled a face, tilting the cup around in her hands and squinting her eyes, casting her gaze down to the parchment of symbols and their meanings. "Ah! Here it is. The tomato. A short but sweet and passionate affair." Giggling, the girl looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "An affair, eh Georgie? Who's the unlucky sod? Oh yes, I'll place my bets on it being Lee."

"Lee, while absolutely my type, is not who I would choose to have an affair with. You, on the other hand." Throwing her a flirtatious wink, George watched in amusement as Isla glared at him through narrowed eyes, yet began fidgeting in a flustered manner.

"Oh bugger off would you?"

"No, no I don't think I shall. How about your cup? What do you reckon it says Lettie?" George reluctantly looked over at Alleta, who had been watching the other two converse curiously. 

"Well, let's see." She muttered, averting her eyes quickly, refraining from making a comment about the two of them and their budding relationship. It had been rather obvious for weeks now and their complete obliviousness to each other's feelings was beginning to get ridiculous. "This down here looks like a spade from those muggle packs of playing cards. According to the sheet it means-" Breaking her sentence off, Alleta hummed quietly, trailing her finger along the parchment and stopping momentarily, finding it. "Good fortune! And down here, it seems as though there is also a heart, which signifies lover." 

With a raised brow, she watched her friend squirm and artfully avoid looking at the Weasley twin sat beside them. "So, the both of you will have lovers or affairs. Huh, that's convenient." Alleta shrugged, almost nonchalantly, yet the smirk that graced her expression betrayed her laughter. She enjoyed seeing both of their gazes fill with hope. It was sweet. She certainly had some match making to do.

Clearing his throat uncomfortably and looking back up, George grabbed Alleta's cup from her, smirking. "Alright then mate, if you think this is so funny." He narrowed his gaze and she watched as his eyes flicked from the cup to the paper. "Says here that the Cross, which you have got, is the symbol for trails and suffering. And then you also have the Angel, which is the bearer of good news, especially in love."

Snorting, Isla looked over at her. "So basically you're just going to be suffering through love. That's bloody cheerful."

"Maybe that's not what it means. Like, there could be a really shit thing that happens, and then bam! I fall in love." Allie looked at them both with hope, though the ember of it disappeared at their expressions. "Piss off. It's not like this stuff is real anyway. There isn't anyone that would make me "suffer through love" I mean, what bullshit." She rolled her eyes, snickering under her breath.

Both George and Isla looked at one another, their minds briefly wandering to Fred. Before they shook their heads in mutual agreement. It didn't make any sense. Fred and Alleta were just friends, they hadn't even been that for very long either.

"Bullshit. Hm, of course. That's what it is." Isla made eye contact with her and frowned slightly to herself, her gaze finding it's way over to George. Maybe there was a little something between them? He was sweeter and a little more mellow than Fred was, but she liked it. The two had certainly developed a form of friendship over time, having spoken amicably even before their 6th year and when Fred and Alleta had finally grown the balls to befriend each other. He was very attractive too. His hair was long but the kind of long that didn't knot and she had to resist the urge to run her fingers through it. 

Looking over at her dorm mate, Alleta noticed the way she had been nearly staring at George and bit back the ear splitting grin that threatened to form across her features. Making a mental note to conspire with Fred about this, the Ravenclaw glanced across the room at Trelawney, who was now rambling about some sort of prophecy technique that she liked to try. It was complete and utter waffle.

But, upon reaching the end of it, she dismissed the class and, much to Alleta's relief, chose against setting them an assignment. She wasn't sure she would be able to emotionally manage another one. There were piles among piles of them that she had to get to, and it was only making her long to be the sort of witch whose smarts just came naturally. That was the dream. A very short term, sad one at that, but the dream nonetheless. 

Grabbing her leather bag and hurrying out of the room, Alleta scanned the crowds and sure enough, there he was. She made her way through people and ignored the way her heart stuttered at the way his face broke out into a large grin at the sight of her. 

"Lettie!"

"Freddie!"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling against his chest as he moved to hold her close, ruffling her hair teasingly. "Sod off." Her words were soft and lacking any fire, only causing them both to laugh.

Though it was only Monday, the two hadn't seen each other since Saturday morning, as they missed the other in Hogsmeade, having had different timings. And then on Sunday, he was at Quidditch practice, and Alleta had gone to the library to catch up on some school work, both of them too tired to go out of their way to see the other one after their respective activities. Especially considered they shared classes together the next day anyway. 

Looking up at him, Alleta took in his nearly shoulder length, straight hair and was unable to help the wide smirk that formed. "Fred..." She drawled out, keeping one arm wrapped around his waist as they walked side by side.

"Alleta..." He matched her drawl, using her proper forename for effect.

"How would you feel about letting me braid your hair?"

Barking out a laugh, Fred looked down at the girl, expecting to see the ghost of a joke in her eyes. But no. No, she was entirely serious. About to protest whole heartedly, he found that he could not bring himself to. Having spent most of his weekend around Angelina; with whom, he didn't know what was going on, nor was he really all that bothered, Fred had realised he missed the little worm of a friend beside him. It was an odd feeling. To miss her, that is.

Grimacing, he moved away from her and leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his chest with a flicker of a smirk. "Fine. Go on. Do your worst, Blake."

Her chest quite nearly burst with joy at his words and she made a move to keep walking down the cold steps of the Divination tower, keeping up a fast pace, one that he easily matched. "Oh you know I will, Weasley. I'll make you look like an absolutely radiant bride."

"A bride? And who is to be the groom?"

"I suppose I could see if Felicity is up for it. The whole gender reversal thing. Then there's always Lee, I'm sure he would be open to the marriage."

"Let's have a chat with Lee then and arrange a date."

"Sounds like a plan. Dress shopping too? I do believe that somewhere in Hogsmeade sells wedding dresses."

"I don't think they do actually, do you not remember them shutting down a couple years back?"

"Oh wait, yes I do! There was some sort of rat infestation wasn't there?"

"I'll have to check that out actually because that's going to bug me, I don't 100% know what it was."

"Definitely do, thanks, otherwise I'll be driving myself to the brink of insanity in an attempt to remember that."

"Either way Lettie, take me wedding dress shopping to a muggle one somewhere in London over break? I need my groomsman's opinion of course."

"And we'll bring George along, because no doubt he would be best man."

"Precisely!"

"I think a princess gown would be very flattering toward your figure. It would hug you in all the right places, you know?" Alleta felt the smirk pull her lips upwards and she poked his shoulder.

"I like the sound of that. Good thinking Watson." Fred made a reference to the muggle book she had been reading, as he would skim the pages over her shoulder. The pride on his face at his own words was obvious and rather sweet.

"What is it next anyway? I can braid your hair at lunch." She winked at him, accompanied with a small snicker.

"Uhm, I think we have transfigu- no, wait, nope it's charms."

"Fuck. I'm so bad at that."

"You? A Ravenclaw? Bad at charms? Well, I never thought I would live to see the day."

"Bugger off Weasley. You're not that good yourself."

"I'll have you know that actually, I have developed plenty of the Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's products and charmed them myself. 'Not that good' My arse." He scoffed, smiling down at her. He couldn't help but notice the way she had pulled her hair back. It was in a low bun, but strands of brown hair had fallen out throughout the day, making it look quite messy. She was quite pretty actually. Though anyone with any sense of logic would be able to see that. While he was aware of the chord that she struck in his chest, he also was never truly jealous of Cedric when he saw the other two together.

He was only ever happy for the girl. Maybe that meant they were only ever meant for friends? The thought of that certainly reassured him. He liked not having the complications of feelings; ones that he knew were there, even if only slightly, for Angelina.

Thinking of. The girl in question came bounding around the corner, greeting him with a very big smile. Fred, oblivious to female mannerisms most of the time, missed the way Angelina's smile had faltered at the realisation that Alleta was walking beside him. The two girls looked at each other with forced smiles and faked enthusiasm. Neither wanted to be the one to tell Fred they didn't get on. 

"Ang, you're in Charms with me right?" Fred looked over at her fondly, momentarily forgetting the Ravenclaw stood beside him.

This pleased Angelina.

"Yes, I am actually. Would you be good to sitting next to me today? I could do with your help on the Bubble-Head Charm."

"Not at all. I have some other stuff to focus on. Namely cans." He winked at her and they shared a snorted laugh, shaking their heads. 

It was clearly an inside joke, one that Alleta didn't understand. Standing beside them, she tensed and looked to the side, spotting Felicity in the crowds. "Hey, uhm, I'll catch up with you later." She turned to tell Fred, her face falling when she realised he had already walked off with the other girl, his head angled back to give her an apologetic expression; one she brushed off.

That was fine, of course. He felt bad about it but was possibly going to end up dating Angelina, why shouldn't he spend more time with her?

Feeling silly for even dwelling on it and not understanding why, Alleta plastered a small smile on her face and rushed through people, following the blonde head. Felicity was in her Charms class, perhaps she could catch the seat beside her.

Far, far away from Angelina.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	13. chapter twelve

December 6th, 1994

"Lissie! Hey, hold on." 

Catching up to the blonde, she smiled over at her in greeting.

"Oh! Allie, it's you. I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over all the shouting." Felicity told her apologetically, with a meaningful expression. It was lovely really. She always felt the need to apologise for any minor inconvenience, even ones that weren't at all her fault. Little things like that, along with her unwavering belief in the existence of nargles and wrackspurts, that reminded lots of people of Luna Lovegood. The two were quite similar and certainly on the same wavelength.

They got on rather well actually.

Not that it was much of a surprise to anybody who knew either of the girls. 

"Have you heard, people are starting to ask around for dates to the yule ball? It's quite exciting, wouldn't you agree?" Her tone was calm and soft, but the expression on her face and the look in her eyes was highly contrasting; very excited and almost wild. But that was how Felicity was.

"I assume you'll be asking Louise?" Allie raised an eyebrow and subtly looked around for the Hufflepuff redhead. She remembered as first years, everyone making jokes about how Louise must be a lost Weasley, because nobody had such flaming red hair who wasn't one of the family. It wasn't true, of course, but after 6 years, all of the Weasley's and Louise were getting understandably tired of the jokes. 

"Of course. We have already agree on the colour scheme." Felicity told her, almost airily. "She's going to be wearing emerald green, while i shall be i royal blue. Ooo, my dress is flowy and pretty and reminds me of one I used to have as a child. But nicer." 

Her words had been sort of strewn together in a way that was rather random and abrupt, but fit well with each other. Sort of like Felicity and Louise themselves.

"I think that sounds wonderful. And the royal blue will definitely compliment your complexion. Plus, the green with Louise's hair will look absolutely stunning."

"That's exactly what I said!" Louise, the Hufflepuff girl, came up behind them and joined in the conversation with no hesitation. "Especially considering the slight green to my eyes, you know." She made a point of widening her eyes so that Alleta would be able to look and spot it.

In all fairness, though they were few, the flecks of green did actually exist.

"Your eyes are stunning, Lou. Now come on, else we shall all be late for charms. I don't need Allie's habits rubbing off on either one of us, because you and I both know you are god awful at shaking newly acquired habits."

"Now that just isn't fair, I'm marvellous at it. Remember the one where I started to bite my nails but managed to quit it after being told that it could lead to gastro-intestinal infections. Eugh no thanks."

"Ah yes of course. We have Lee Jordan to thank for that. He yelled it at you across the Quidditch pitch."

"Oh that had completely slipped my mind. Who knew that Lee would know stuff like that."

"Right? Knowing what can cause gastro-intestinal infections isn't exactly common knowledge."

Cutting in, Alleta laughed softly. "How about we circle back to where the two of you decided to drag me into this? I'm not late to the point where it would rub off on you!" She protested.

Scoffing in both disbelief and amusement, Louise nodded to herself slowly, the smug smile pulling at either side of her lips. "Absolute horseshit. It is a universally acknowledged fact that you, Alleta, have not once been on time. Not. Once."

"You know what? I refuse to take this slander-" Being interrupted by the other two girls giggling, she cut them off, biting back the grin threatening to break through. "While, yes, it may in fact be true, I am hurt by the insinuation that you think I am incapable of being on time. And, just to prove you wrong. I will get to Charms in just minutes from now. Early. So hah."

"See, I would love to see that happen. Someone around here probably has a couple sickles on that. But, by the looks of it." Felicity chimed in, gesturing around them to the emptying halls. A few students here and there were left, but certainly not the crowds that had been swimming just moments ago. "We're already running late. A shame, but I can't say that I am too concerned. Flitwick is quite lovely."

Looking at the other two girls in amusement, a huff of laughter parted her lips and she made a half jog to the Charms classroom, which wasn't all that far away actually. 

Following in suit as they both shared her lesson, Felicity and Louise grabbed one another's hand and walked a few steps behind, at a leisurely pace. Nobody who was ever late to Flitwick's classes were given detention or reprimanded for it. 

"Sorry I'm late Professor." Alleta offered the small man an apologetic smile and sheepishly fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. 

"That's quite alright Miss Blake, just take your seat and join in. We're practising 'Silencing Charms' today. You too, Miss Clemonte and Miss Murphy." He turned to address the two who had walked in only seconds after her, and they both gave light smiles and nods of acknowledgement. 

Watching as their Professor returned to the papers on his desk, the brunette scanned the room and saw her seat, empty and beside Cedric. Yet, in doing so, she was unable to miss the smirk plastered on Fred's face as he looked at her from further down the rows of desks. "Late again?" He mouthed, an eyebrow raised.

"Not me, never me." Alleta returned, shaking her head in dry amusement.

"You need a formal escort?"

"Bugger off."

About to add something, though she had not quite made her mind up on what, she froze mid thought as she watched Angelina tug Fred's sleeve, garnering his attention. The girl leaned over, whispering in his ear and the two released bursts of laughter. The way Fred was looking at her-

Well, it wasn't a look she had really seen on his face before.

Something odd twinged in her gut and she felt the slight tug of a frown forming.

"Al, over here." The Hufflepuff called her over and her gaze flicked over to him, mustering up a grin and doing her best to ignore the couple a few rows along. Who was she to care anyway?

"Hey stranger." It had only been a day since they last spoken, but for their standards, that was an extremely unnecessary amount of time. "It's been so long I think-" She hesitated for effect "I think I see a grey hair." Gasping, Alleta reached over and made a show out of inspecting his hair, brushing it in different directions gently with her fingers.

"Leave off with the dramatics, would you? I missed you too." Cedric playfully swatted her hand away before narrowing his eyes in her direction. "Although.. I do believe.." He reached out and traced a line on her forehead, his touch tentatively brushing over her skin. "That you have yourself some wrinkles? My dear, has it truly been so long?" 

Gasping in mock outrage, Alleta sniffed and turned from him, taking her wand and meeting his eyes in amusement. 

"Silencio."

Cedric tried to speak, he really did. But he found that none of his words were leaving his mouth. His mouth opened in silent laughter, though no sooner than she cast the charm, did Allie utter the counter curse. Her gaze wandered over to Flitwick, but he seemed perfectly engrossed in marking; something he did more often with the older years, happy to leave them to their own devices and only offering surveillance if necessary.

Needless to say, they weren't supposed to be using the charm on their fellow students, but on the toads and bullfrogs that were sat on the desk before them.

"Prat!" 

"Mhm, doesn't change the fact you adore me nonetheless."

"I still stand by the fact you have wrinkles.

"Don't make me silence you again, because I will and we both know it."

"Hmph."

"But maybe not, I think I can see the grey hairs spreading."

From across the rows of desks, Fred allowed his attention to drift from Angelina, his charms partner, over to where Alleta was sat with Cedric.

He could hear her laugh from where he was sat. It wasn't a silvery or delicate sound, like he knew Angelina's to be, more of a bark or cackle, occasionally accompanied by a snort or two.

It was perfect. And entirely her.

Despite Cedric being a good mate, he couldn't shake the feeling of annoyance toward him. Normally he was the one to make Alleta laugh like that. Sure, they had been friends longer, and sure, they had dated, but Fred liked being the one she would laugh with.

But currently, it seemed to him that she was looking at Cedric with stars in her eyes.

Like he was the only bloke around.

Which was bollocks.

Clearing his throat, Fred sniffed and scrunched his nose slightly, averting his gaze. He didn't know what had spurred on the feelings that circled around his stomach, but he certainly didn't like it.

Truthfully, he had been thinking of asking Alleta to the yule ball in just a couple of weeks. As friends, of course. Clearly neither of them felt any other way about each other. But maybe he would be doing her a favour if he just asked Angelina instead.

That way she could go with Cedric. 

Fred found his eyes moving toward her again and the ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he watched her throw her head back in laughter, whacking Cedric when he moved to touch her forehead. Again.

Wanker.

"Fred? You in there mate?" Angelina teased, moving into his sight line.

"Yeah, yeah sorry, got distracted." He said gruffly, cracking a grin while he moved to tug at his tie, loosening it a little.

He returned to the charm at hand, squinting at the bullfrog and cracking jokes about how it almost resembled Snape, entirely oblivious to the conversation that had begun across the room.

-

"So, thinking of asking anyone special to the yule ball?" Allie nudged Cedric, after having successfully silenced her toad.

"Actually, yes, yeah I was." Rubbing the back of his neck, Cedric's cheeks flushed slightly and he scrunched his nose.

"And who's the unlucky girl?"

"A year below, I think. She's a Ravenclaw. Cho Chang? You might know her." 

Seeing him flustered like this, Alleta felt her heart go out to him and she smiled. "I recognise the name actually.." Pausing for a moment, she allowed herself to think and then it hit her. "Oh! She's so pretty, Ced."

"Isn't she just? Well, I was probably going to ask her later today, but I head Potter's got his eye on her, so I'm not sure."

"Harry Potter, while he may the chosen one, isn't half as amazing as you are. Ask her anyway, and if she rejects you then she's just bloody stupid."

"Yeah yeah." Cedric bit back the grin and mussed his hair up in a sort of bashful manner. "What about you? Anyone you hope asks you?"

Alleta's eyes involuntarily flicked in Fred's direction, only for her to realise he was already looking at them. The two made momentary eye contact, before she broke it, flushing. Why the fuck was she flushed? 

"Oh." Was all he said, his previous state of fluster gone in an instant. Cedric smirked and poked her shoulder lightly, glancing at Fred, who had turned his attention back to Angelina and the toad. 

"Oh, what?" Allie tensed and reached to place her thumbnail between her teeth, not breaking the nail by biting down on it, but instead she fiddled with it awkwardly.

"You and.. Fred? Is that a thing? Why didn't you tell me? Omg George is just going to flip. We both had an inkling about this, you see. Only, George placed 2 galleons on the chance that you two wouldn't happen until summer at the very earliest. 'Coward, the both of them.' He had said. But I knew better than that. Hah. Thank you very much Alleta, you just earned by 2 galleons."

Taken aback by his speech of sort, she watched him, wide eyes. "You.. What?" Struggling to string her words together properly, Allie played with her fingers, bending them and twisting them; a habit she had developed over the years. One that Cedric knew her to do when she was confused or upset.

"No, no." Laughing it off quietly, she smiled up at him. "There's nothing like that. I just- I don't know what it is. We're friends but that's it."

"Friends?"

"Yeah. There's never been nor, I doubt, will be anything more between us. Not that I would want it, you know, if there were to be. He's attractive and all, anyone with bloody eyes can see that. Plus he's tall and his laugh is brilliant. He's honestly hilarious and I just- Ugh, I don't know. He makes me smile all the time, but there's nothing there, obviously. Obviously.." Trailing off, Alleta made a point of clearing her throat and looking back down at the toad. 

"Oh." Unsure of what would be best to say, Cedric smiled awkwardly, resisting the urge to tease her for the ramble she had gone off on. "Slow down mate, you'll bite your tongue off at the rate you're talking." Fuck. 

Alleta barked out a laugh and shook her head, thankful for his remark. It pulled her from the odd mood she had fallen into, especially now, as she did her best not to look back over at Fred. Fred. Fred who was flirting with Angelina. Again.

Moving on.

Speaking the counter curse, she pulled a face as the toad's incessant croaking returned. "Can we kill it?" She mused aloud, tilting her head. She hated toads. Had always done. Or at least, since she was 7 when her older sister put one on her face while she slept. Bit of a nasty shock waking up to that. Traumatised her as a child.

Still did.

"Whack it with a shovel?" Cedric suggested.

"Bury it's body by Hagrid's hut?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Before they could say any else, Flitwick dismissed them and Alleta stood with a sigh, stretching out.

"Study period now." She grumbled, thankful for the break, despite having Potions later in the day. She couldn't bear to be around Snape for another hour. The man was nasty with a penchant to deduct any non Slytherin house points. 

Grabbing her bag and hurrying from the room, Alleta heard Fred walking up behind her, slinging an arm around her shoulders loosely.

"Lettie." He said, almost matter-of-factly.

"Freddie." She returned, oblivious to the way the nickname caused heat to rush to Fred's cheeks. He didn't know why her using it affected him in such a way, maybe because she was the only person beside George he had ever really allowed to use it? Nobody really knew why he didn't get pissy with her, like with the others, when she used it. In all fairness, neither did he.

"You seemed cosy with Ced over there, anything you want to confess?" Fred teased her lightly, cocking his head to the side. Alleta was a terrible lair. She would avert her eyes and place her thumbnail between her lips. Her lips. No. Not going there.

Rolling her eyes, Alleta frowned. First Cedric asking about Fred and now Fred asking about Cedric. Could a girl not be mates with a guy in peace? "Oh shut it Weasley. You know there's jack shit between us. Though the same couldn't be said for you and Angelina. Anything you want to confess?" She mimicked his words from earlier, her frown disappearing, and in it's place, a slight smirk.

"Meh. You'll have to wait and see." 

"Oh. Fine." 

Reaching her hand up, she played lightly with his hair as it was beginning to reach just above his shoulders. Her movement faltering for a moment. If there wasn't anything solid between him and Angelina, why not just ask him to the ball herself? As friends, obviously.

And if he said no, it was no big deal. Nor would it be awkward, as it wasn't a date or anything romantic. Sure. Alleta inhaled sharply and grinned up at him.

"Why so smiley all of a sudden?" Fred mocked shock, resting the back of his hand on her forehead. "You must be ill."

"Leave off. I was just.. Well, you see, I was wondering if maybe-"

Before given the chance to finish, somebody -a certain red head- came bounding up behind them, sliding in between and ruffling their hair. 

"Oi!"

"Twat! What are you doing?" Both Alleta and Fred yelled at the same time, before making eye contact and laughing.

"Escorting the two of you to study hall of course. As if I would give you the opportunity to skive off without me."

"That's not what we were doing."

"Sure, sure. No broom cupboards around here anywhere? No secret rendezvous between you? I find that hard to believe."

Unable to prevent the blush on her cheeks, Allie shoved George with a forced grin. "Yeah right, as if. Let's just go."

She didn't want to think about how he had interrupted her. And what Fred may have answered, had she been given the chance to ask.

Either way, her courage was gone and she wasn't going to be asking again anytime soon.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	14. chapter thirteen

December 6th, 1994

Walking into the Great Hall for a study period was always slightly overwhelming. The silence was strange and not something that Alleta thought suited Hogwarts at all. Though she had grown used to the sound of gentle mutterings and the scratching of quill against parchment, it was still rather odd.

What was even more offputting, was the way that the two Weasley's on either side of her had also quietened, the chatter lulling to a comfortable silence. Of course, she had been around them without talking before, but it never failed to be disconcerting. They were loud and the types of people who were meant to be seen. If that made sense.

Still, the lack of noise did give her a good opportunity to get some essay assignments out of the way. Oh how she despised essays. Her hand would constantly cramp, her generally scrawly writing grew barely legible toward the end of them, and she always, without fail, smudged the bloody ink. Who the fuck thought writing with quills and ink was a good idea? Why couldn't she just use muggle pens like when she was at home?

It irritated her to no end. Especially when the ink would rub off onto her hand and she had to scrub at it for ages, in order to remove it. Such an inconvenience.

Taking a seat across from Fred and George, who were sat with Angelina diagonal to them and just down the row from Alleta; how she had wormed herself into their vicinity was beyond her.

Glancing around, she didn't fail to note that the twin's younger brother Ron, was sat beside his two best mates, Harry and Hermione. Harry Potter. As in, the chosen one. She had never actually spoken to the boy, but from what she gathered, he was rather lovely. Alleta had conversed with Ron and Hermione on more than one occasion, as they were often found together, and she was quite fond of them.

Cedric had immersed himself on a different table altogether, among some of his Hufflepuff mates. The two made eye contact and exchanged matching grins. Isla was.. Well, who knew? She did her best to avoid having to come here to study. Studying of any kind, really.

Pulling out her parchment, ink and quill, Alleta inwardly groaned, scrunching her face up in distaste at the assignment. Divination. It was some nonsensical question about Venus and how the alignment of planets effected love. Entirely rubbish.

"Divination?" Fred raised his brows, snorting in a hushed tone. "Imagine being the sort of sucker to carry it on. 'Ay George." He nudged George and chuckled to himself, thankful he had the sense to quit. He had seen some of the shit George and Alleta had been writing down. Absolutely not for him. No thank you.

"Piss off. Let me focus. It's hard enough having to write bullshit as it is. Did you know that? It's so bloody difficult to write things when you know they don't make sense. Why? I personally think it's just rude. Let me make a twat out of myself if I want to. But my brain won't allow it."

Listening to her mumble, mainly to herself, Fred grinned and flicked a scrunched up ball of parchment at her. "Where's that good ol' Ravenclaw spirit of yours gone? Even George is doing better at Divination than you are."

"George has a fantastical way of thinking. So do you. You can both create the unexpected. My brain doesn't work that way." She paused, frowning. "In fact, I don't doubt for a moment, that if you were to pick up Divination now, you would still get higher than me in the N.E.W.T.S."

"I call bullshit."

"Nope."

"Nope? You can't just 'nope' my calling bullshit. It doesn't work like that mate."

"It works the way I say it does. Got it?" Casting him an overly sweet smile, Alleta returned her focus to the essay at hand, with her eyes downcast, she reached for the parchment Fred had previously thrown at her, clenched her hand around it and threw it so it hit him in the middle of his chest; careful to avoid the beady eye of Snape, who, much to her dismay, was overlooking their studying. Dickhead.

"You're so in for it when we get out of this hall, Blake."

"Try me, Weasley."

"Happily."

"Good."

"Grand."

"Marvelous."

"Wonderful."

"Spiffulent."

Spiffulent? Why, in Gods name, did I say 'spiffulent.' Alleta rolled her eyes preemptively at Fred's attempt to bite back his laughter. The hushed, mocking words already being chucked her way.

"Spiffulent? Ouch Blake, I didn't realise you're vocabulary was so extensive. Now I'm quivering in fear at your feet. Forgive me, my darling."

"Fuck you."

"You wish."

The two were cut short, their attention being captured by Snape shoving Ron's head back toward the desk, so he would turn to face inward. Ron's look of both confusion and outrage was brilliant. He was always complaining about the professor, and to see him being told off was, unfortunately for him, amusing.

Noticing the way Fred scribbled down something on paper, Alleta narrowed her eyes, trying to reach over and see what it said.

'Get a move on or all the good ones will have gone.'

Bold of him to say, considering he hadn't got a date.

But.. If he didn't ask her did that mean-

No, she wouldn't let insecurities take over. It was clearly because he didn't think of her that way. Like she very obviously didn't think of him like that either.

Turning to look at Ron, she didn't miss the laughter on George's face when their eyes met. 'Who're you going with then? Alleta probably.' Ron had mouthed, winking at the Ravenclaw, who frowned in response.

However, Fred simply allowed a smug smile, before scrunching yet another piece of parchment. Did that boy not care for waste? And throwing it toward-

Oh.

Of course.

Why did she allow herself to think otherwise.

Even for a moment.

Angelina glanced over, raising her brows expectantly.

Alleta's heart rate sped up and anxiously, she twisted her fingers under the table, watching them interact. They would make an attractive couple. It was no secret Angelina was fucking gorgeous. Just a shame she could be so nasty sometimes.

Fred pointed at her 'Do you.' He stopped, 'Wanna go' He made a dancing gesture with his hands, and moved his shoulders in a swaying motion.

Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

Alleta wasn't going to concern herself over what her pleading meant for her feelings. Just that she really was. Pleading, that is.

'To the ball.' Smirking, Fred moved his thumb in the direction of himself.

Her stomach sank.

'With me?'

Watching him with an expression that almost resembled fondness and warmth, Angelina nodded, making a thumbs up. 'Alright then.' She mouthed, grinning at him, her friend giggling beside her. Before turning to face her friend, she made eye contact with Alleta, who had been doing her best to summon a simple mask of amusement, and shot a smug smile.

Charming.

Fred looked back at Ron and gave a largely, over-exaggerated wink.

Ron rolled his eyes, looking beside him at Hermione, who, up until that point, had been very successfully ignoring him. "Oi, Hermione. You're a girl." He said, his voice low.

"Oh well spotted." Hermione's voice dripped with sarcasm as she scoffed, looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to get to the point.

Alleta liked her already.

"Ball?" Ron mimicked his older brother's actions, a proud and frankly, stupid smirk plastered across his face. Though it was quickly wiped clean when Snape came up behind them, parchment hitting the backs of their heads.

Both Alleta and Fred snickered in accompaniment.

She could feel him looking at her, but Alleta, unwilling to face both him and the unwelcome feeling that was stirring in her gut, studiously ignored him, watching the 'Golden Trio' As the students of Hogwarts had gradually come to refer to them by.

"It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone." Ron continued, seemingly unfazed by Hermione's contorted face. "But for a girl it's just sad."

So perhaps Alleta's prior opinion of the younger Weasley boy had been too high. That was a dick thing to say.

"I won't be going alone, because believe it or not, someone's asked me." The brunette Gryffindor retorted, her words rushed and practically tripping over one another. She shot up from her seat, grabbed the book she had been writing in and walked over to Snape, handing it to him.

Ron and Harry both had a bemused look to them. It was clear neither of the boys knew what to make of her words.

Oh, and here she came.

"And I said yes." Hermione snapped, gathering her remaining things and storming out. She both looked and sounded furious. For a long minute, Alleta considered whether or not to follow her our and check on her, before deciding against it. Hermione didn't strike her as the type of person to appreciate somebody they had rarely spoken to before, approaching them and intruding on their personal life.

No, that wouldn't be one of her better ideas.

"Bloody hell... She's lying, right?" Ron raised his eyebrows, his words were mumbled, but still loud enough for Alleta to hear, along with Fred and George, who were both clearly listening and finding the situation absolutely, painstakingly hilarious.

"If you say so." Harry shrugged, and they both lowered their voices further, whispering about dates and the common room and whatnot, when Snape tugged at his sleeves sharply, and pushed their heads down to look at their work; both boys grunting in annoyance.

She despised Snape, but sometimes she could not help but find the man funny.

Moving her focus back to her Divination essay, Alleta groaned, craning her neck in an attempt to subtly check what George wrote; who, shockingly, was actually decent at getting assignments done on time.

"Take it, Lettie." He chuckled, handing her his work with a light smile, though his eyes held hints of curiousity and concern. He knew. He had seen through whatever facade she had put up earlier in regards to Fred. That would be fun.

"My saviour. I adore you, Weasley." Allie moved past her concerns and cracked a wide grin, skimming over what he had written.

It seemed perfect. The right amount of mumbo jumbo to win Trelawney over. It was all entirely wrong, no doubt. But would work. Especially with the slight alterations she would make in order to differ it from George's.

"Copying. Disgraceful." Fred teased, though his voice only led Allie to tense and she made a point of not looking at him.

"Mm."

"Oh, Lettie! I forgot, I was going to ask you earlier. Have you got a date to the ball yet? I was thinking of asking you as mates, you know? Just in case. But I saw you with Cedric-"

"Yes. I have a date. But even if I didn't, I wouldn't take your pity date. I'm glad you'll have a good time with Angelina." Her voice was clipped and tone, short. It took her by surprise. She had never spoken to him in an unfriendly way. Fred had clearly noticed, because he slowly closed his mouth, looking beside him at George.

Yet, that wasn't her concern. Her main thoughts lay with the big question.

Why did she possibly think that the smart thing to do would be to lie?

Because now, she was doing exactly what Ron thought Hermione to be doing. She was lying about having a date. Something that would surely backfire on her at some point in the worryingly near future.

"You have a date? Who?" Fred asked, though he had an edge to his voice. One that didn't match hers, but was more... Ugh, who knew.

"That's not really any of your concern. I suppose you'll find out in a couple of weeks anyway."

"Yes. I suppose I will." He tapped his fingers on the table, watching Alleta as she scribbled out the essay. Who was she going with? Why wouldn't she tell them? Why was she being pissy with him? Was it because of Angelina? No. No, that was ridiculous. Maybe she didn't really have a date and was just feeling embarrassed. Did she want to go with him? Hah. What a suggestion. Although Fred would have loved taking her as his date, as he believed they both would have had a grand laugh and fuck, Alleta would be stunning, he knew Angelina was the better option. The safer option.

He didn't like the thought of her getting dressed up for some bloke who only wanted to get in her pants. And everyone knew most of the Durmstrang lads thought that way. Though it was rather hypocritical, considering he was taking a girl he knew full well he didn't have feelings for. Why he asked her?

Ron had put him on the spot.

Alleta was sat in front of him, looking very pretty, which he wasn't sure he had noticed as of late, and focused, withe the small dent between her eyebrows that he was growing to love. But there Angelina was sat, further down. There would have been no repercussions or danger with her. It would be so much easier to take her.

Hence his decision.

Huffing quietly, Alleta wrung her wrist, moving it around gently, due to having developed cramp. She did her best to not pay any attention to George. He always took the piss when she got hand cramps, because he had never, not one gotten one, and found them to be both terrifying and hilarious. She truly believed that if George's hand were to cramp, he would begin to panic and get stressed.

Oh what she wouldn't give to see that happening. Complete fucking gold.

Fred, on the other hand, confused her.

Alleta hated being confused.

Looking down at the essay, which was now 3/4's copied, she smiled at George, batting her eyelashes gently. "Would I be alright to take this to finish it out tonight."

"Fine. But have it back to me before the clock strikes midnight."

Alleta gasped and broke out a beam. "Cinderella! You remembered the muggle fairy tail. I'm so proud!"

"As if I would ever forget anything you tell me." George winked.

"Sure mate, whatever you say." She stood. "I'm going to go for a walk during my free. See you later." Smiling at George, Alleta piled up her things and placed them gently in her bag, briefly allowing her eyes to focus on Fred. He was already watching her; looking both upset and annoyed. Great.

The two had never actually argued before. While the previous conversation hadn't exactly been one -an argument- it still felt weird, and unsettling, if you will.

"Bye." She muttered to them both and hastily moved out from the table, walking from the hall, and not looking back. While she walked, Alleta tied her hair back in a scruffy low ponytail, huffing as it had been tickling her face.

Now she just had to find a date.

Without either of the boys catching on about how she lied.

How hard could it be?

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	15. chapter fourteen

December 6th, 1994

Extremely.

It was extremely hard.

Considering Alleta had never really been one to go out of her way to socialise or 'fraternise' with the other houses, and the Ravenclaw guys in her year were either gay or had a girlfriend, trying to find a date to the ball was proving far more difficult than she could have imagined.

She envied Fred for how easy it had been for him to ask Angelina and have her say yes. Very much bish bash bosh. It was unfair.

Her last lesson of the day was Divination and she had been dreading it, due to her blatant and unsuccessful efforts at finding somebody so she wouldn't have to keep lying to George, who would undoubtedly be pestering her for the entirety of the next hour.

Fidgeting with the navy tie that hung loose around her neck, Allie grumbled slightly. She had always hated them and could never get them quite right, they often turned out sloppy looking or half arsed. There had been countless uniform related detentions. Those and the late ones were the extent of her misdemeanours; certainly paling in comparison to George and Fred's.

"Palm reading!" Trelawney burst out, as she snuck in quietly, taking her seat next to George and across Isla at the rounded table. "What a load of-"

"Shush." Isla shot her a look, though it wasn't malicious, she was simply trying to succeed in living out her fantasies of becoming a Divination professor; something she had only shared with Alleta a few weeks prior, and, as much as she didn't believe in the art, Allie thought it was a brilliant idea.

"Sorry." She mouthed, glancing at George, who rolled his eyes, but was smiling fondly at Isla, who was listening with a very focused and intent look. 

There was a sudden jab in her side, and Allie looked up from her shoes, which she was currently inspecting, having just noticed the separation of the sole from the toe part. She made a mental note to pick up a new pair from Hogsmeade that weekend. "Who are you going with, Lettie?" George winked, his tone hushed as he did his best not to disturb or intrude in Isla's zone.

"You'll have to wait and see! I already told you so." The smirk that graced her lips was teasing, and she shook her head to accompany it. "Besides, you would only find away to take the piss and we both know it."

"You're no fun." George scoffed, kicking her leg under the table half-heartedly.

Releasing a gasp, mainly from shock, she stifled a snort and watched him in indignation. "Did you seriously just kick me?" She asked, almost disbelieving.

"You know it"

"What are you? 5?"

"I'd say more around the 8-9 age range. If you really want to be accurate."

"No need to be so pedantic."

"Fred wanted to take you, you know?" He blurted, not too sure what encompassed him to do so, but going with it. 

Alleta paused, looking over at George, her heart stalling for a long moment. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean that Fred was going to ask you to Yule Ball. He said it would be as friends, but I guess he saw you and Cedric, and how close you are, and made assumptions." George was watching her carefully for a reaction. To be entirely honest, he suspected the two felt something more than they were allowing themselves to believe. Not that either of them had actually said anything to him. But that didn't change his own opinion. Especially not when he took into consideration the way he saw his brother act around her. Too much sneaky eye contact to be friends, and the way Lettie would get flustered. Yeah no, friends his arse.

A scoff like laugh burst from her lips and she shook her head. "Cedric and I are nothing but friends. He's probably my best mate really. Besides, it wouldn't have mattered, like I said, I already have a date." Mentally kicking herself at the repeated emphasis on the fact she had herself a date, the brunette smiled over at him. "I know what you're trying to do." 

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"You still think I fancy the poor bugger."

"And what could be so unbelievable about that? You're both constantly finding ways to make contact with one another. Just the other day you were simply playing with his hair as if it were nothing."

"What? So I can't mess around with him in a friendly manner anymore? God forbid."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

They both looked at the other, having leaned in, speaking in hurried and soft tones, so to not bring attention to the conversation.

Of course, while his observations aggravated her, Alleta could not deny he had a point. But not the one he thought. "Does he think so too? That I fancy him, I mean?" Her words were hesitant and questioning, as she raised a slight brow, not sure if she wanted to know the answer to the question. Because for Fred to think something like that, when it was so clearly untrue, would possibly be her undoing. The embarrassment would be overwhelming.

"No way." Now it was George's turn to snort, as he watched her, amusement etched across his face. "He's my twin and all, but the bloke is oblivious. Way more so than anyone else I know."

"Oh, good. That's, that's good." She nodded, before interrupting herself, if that was possibly. "Though you should know that you are wrong. I don't. Like him like that, that is."

"Sure." George mused, not bothering to hide the disbelief that his words were coated in.

"Sure?"

"Sure. I believe you."

"Liar."

"Oh come now, we both know that title should be reserved for you, and only you." He winked. "Maybe I should slip you some veritaserum and we'll see what you say then."

"You wouldn't dare Weasley-"

"But I so would."

"Fuck off."

A voice from in front of them, took the bickering pair off guard. "Have a go at reading Miss Blake's palm, Mr Weasley. If you have any hope at passing this class." Trelawney was watching the two of them, her hands trembling as per usual, and her hair an unruly mess. Though while Allie hated the subject, and truthfully thought Trelawney to be quite the fool, she rather liked the woman for not being phased by what others thought.

Resisting the urge to scoff, George nodded and grabbed Alleta by the hand, spreading it open, both of them looking at it in amusement. It was a load of horse shit and they knew it. Yet, it was always fun to take the piss out of what their's would 'tell them.'

"Okay so.. You have quite small fingers, which signifies.." At reading what it meant, George found that he was unable to hold back the large bark of laughter. "Hypocrisy and a false pretender. Oh, and an Acute, clever mind. Sure." 

"Bugger off." Allie groaned, almost about to yank her hand away from him, but she decided instead, to let him finish the reading.

"And your finger of Jupiter is small.. This means.." He hesitated, squinting at the parchment of his notes from previous lessons, with a groan. The scrawls were barely legible. "This is brilliant!" George beamed and continued to speak. "This means that you lack dignity and self-respect."

"You're such a twat!" Trelawney cleared her throat at their antics, shooting Alleta a warning look due to her language uses.

"Sorry professor." She muttered, glaring at George.

"Good job, the pair of you. Alleta, take a turn now. Carry on." With that, she walked off, offering a small amount of praise to Isla, who was reading the palm of a Hufflepuff girl from the table beside them.

Swatting him around the back of the head the minute she was gone, Allie scowled. "You're so full of crap. First all that about Fred and now this?"

"Hah! Maybe I do enjoy Divination after all."

"Yeah yeah."

"Come on mate, it was funny."

"Okay, maybe a little. But we don't mention this reading to anyone, understood? Lack of dignity my arse."

"Understood. Crystal clear captain."

"Oi, lemme do yours now." Allie reached out to grab his hand and open it.

"Are you mental? No bleedin' way. I'm not letting you have that over me." His protests were frantic and he chuckled, pulling his hand sharply away from her. "Nice try Lettie."

"I'll get that reading. Just you wait."

"Mhm. "

\- 

The minute the last class was over, Alleta bid goodbye to Isla and George, who were going off to the Gryffindor common room to mess around or something. And she headed down the stairs of the tower, desperately looking for Cedric. 

Upon reaching the bottom of the spiralling staircase, she collided with someone's body, knocking them both down. "Shit! Sorry, sorry! Accident, I swear." Alleta blurted, grabbing her fallen back and standing quickly, reaching her hand down, only to come face to face with Fred.

Neither of them looked too sure of what to do, so they sort of stayed like that for a good few minutes; with him looking up at her, an unreadable expression across his features, and her with her hand held out awkwardly.

"Hey." Fred broke the ice, cracking out a smile, grabbing her hand and jumping up, holding onto it tighter when she tried to pull away.

"Hey." Allie muttered back, biting back the smile from his tight, unwavering grip on her hand.

"About earlier-"

"I'm sorry-"

Both sentences were uttered in unison, and they made eye contact, Alleta looking up, and Fred glancing down. A laugh of relief was shared, and Allie sighed out, visibly releasing the tension from her body.

"Look, Fred, I'm sorry about that study period. I was being bitchy. I guess I just didn't like that you would assume I didn't have a date? Or offer up a pity one.. Well.. an ex pity one." She told him sheepishly.

"No, don't be. I was a bit of a dick.. Kinda." He shrugged, a light smile forming, as he released a heavy sigh. The past hours since the studying, he had been worried about her, not sure whether or not they were supposed to be fighting. The encounter had sort of ended with her pissed, which had never happened between them before; even if it was a mild one.

"Yeah, well.."

"Oh! You just had Divination, how was it?" 

"Lose the smirk Weasley, it wasn't too bad today. I had Georgie there with me. I prefer him to you anyway." Alleta teased, thankful for the subject change, though she still wriggled her hand free, simply to walk beside him, their bodies relatively close together.

"I'm wounded Blake. You definitely know how to hurt a man." Fred nudged her side, feeling far more weightless than he had been just moments ago.

"No, i just know how best to hurt you."

"Perhaps. But considering I just successfully turned parchment into a live tarantula in transfiguration, I would watch what you say to me."

"Is that a threat, Freddie?"

"Only if you think it is."

"I may be shitty, but I don't think I deserve the Ron treatment." Alleta placed a hand over her heart, referencing the incident from when both George and Fred were kids and they pulled a prank which ultimately lead to Ron's lifelong arachnophobia. 

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Fine. If that's the way you want it."

"It is."

"Marvellous."

"I still get a dance saved for me at the ball, right?"

"That depends."

"And to think I trusted that our dance was unconditional!" Fred sneered, the glint of mischief in his expression revealing his true nature.

"As much as I would love to stay and chat-" Allie spoke hurriedly as she spied the familiar brown haired, yellow robed boy from across the halls. "I have a Diggory to speak to."

"Oh, right." Fred's smile faltered slightly, much to his own confusion. 

"I'll catch up with you later. I promise." Leaning up, she hugged him quickly and messed up his hair, before hurrying off; seemingly the way that they had started to part recently.

"I'll miss you." He called out playfully, clutching both hands over his heart with a grin.

"I'll miss you more." Alleta turned and blew a mocking kiss, laughing and shaking her head at the sight of him mockingly catching it. The fool.

Turning her back on him reluctantly, the girl caught up to Cedric, who was looking rather down, and immediately, she changed her demeanour; smile falling. "Hey you.. What's the matter?"

Jolting in surprise, Cedric instantly lit up at the sight of his best mate, before reality caught up to him, and he frowned. "It's not that big a deal I suppose."

"Ced.." Alleta prompted, linking their arms as an act of comfort.

"I went to ask Cho to the ball-"

"Ah."

"Potter asked her first. He's going with her. She's going with him. Ugh. She's going to look so beautiful but she prefers him. I mean.. I'm not surprised. Who wouldn't? The kid's the bloody chosen one, and he's not that bad looking."

"No, you're right. Harry's not bad and he's famous and all. But you're two different people and between you and me, if I were Cho, I would choose you all the way. People just can't control their feelings."

"Yeah, I know.. Still. It sucks."

"Yeah... It does."

Her heart went out to him. He had a thing for Cho for quite a while now, and it was entirely reasonable. The girl was smart, kind and beautiful. Plus a brilliant accent. The whole package really. Reaching up, Allie wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "You don't need her. And I can guarantee, when we're out of Hogwarts, you'll find the bestest girl out there. Hell, I'll help you." She whispered, laughing quietly as he started speaking; she knew what he was about to say. "And yes, I am well aware that bestest isn't a word. It just fit, okay?"

"Okay." Cedric chuckled gently, holding her close to him, before pulling back and keeping an arm wrapped around her shoulder as they walked. "Do you have a date? To the ball?"

"Hah. No. Though I need to find one quick. I accidentally told Fred and George that I do. Have one."

"Have I told you that you can be an idiot?"

"On multiple occasions, yes."

"Good. Because you are."

Alleta shoved him half heartedly, and they both snorted.

"Go with me?"

"Huh?"

"To the ball. You need a date. Neither of us have one. I need one too actually, because of the whole Champion thing. C'mon it'll be fun. We can get pissed and drunk mock people."

"Go on then." 

"Yes?"

"Yes. As friends."

"Well no shit." Cedric teased, grinning over at her, before launching into a whole discussion about the colour scheme they should go for. He mused over a silvery or blue colour to match his grey eyes and her blue ones, with Alleta occasionally chiming in about what style of dress she would wear.

Maybe it wouldn't be such a disaster after all. And at least now she had her date.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	16. chapter fifteen

December 10th, 1994- Saturday

"I swear if you don't cut it out I will smite you."

Alleta whispered harshly across the Ravenclaw table, where Fred was sat, watching her with an amused expression. He had been flicking the occasional baked bean at her, mainly because he hated them and wanted to get them off his plate and what better way to do so than to annoy Lettie with it? But also due to the fact he wanted to break the ice between them.

Although they had resolved whatever mini dispute they had had a couple days ago over Angelina, it wasn't like it had been before. There was some awkward tension every now and then, for example, when Lee Jordan brought up the fact that they were leaning against their tree beside the Black Lake, being very touchy for two people who weren't going to the ball together, but with other people. Which was a fair observation, but considering Angelina had looked over the exact moment Lee decided to joke about it at the dinner table, it wasn't a one that was very welcome.

"Weasley, i am going to smell of baked bean juice- sauce.. whatever, if you don't stop." Simply looking up and making eye contact with her, Fred smirked for for briefest moment; almost fleeting, before he flicked another her way.

"Oops."

"Oops? Oops?"

"You're going dress shopping today, aren't you?" Fred inquired, the sudden change of subject taking the girl aback. He mussed his hair slightly upon waiting for her response, his gaze catching on her hair. She had tied it back into a low ponytail that fell down her back in tangled waves, with two strands at the front pulled it, so to frame her face. It worked. She looked really pretty. Her eyes too. Had they always been that rich blue? He wasn't sure. But he liked them and that confused him. 

"Oh- er, yeah, yeah I am, why?" Tugging at the sleeves of her navy, knitted cable jumper, Alleta raised an eyebrow at him, wondering who he was possibly going to go with. Perhaps Angelina, but then she was likely going to be buying her dress aswell, and wouldn't want Fred seeing her. Because god forbid the suspense be ruined.

"Any colour ideas?"

Colour ideas? This boy- "I was thinking maybe a sort of silver or dark red, how come?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just trying to figure out who the lucky Ravenclaw is." She would suit silver. But then.. Some part of him wanted her in dark red. Gryffindor colours.

"Who said anything about him.. or her, being Ravenclaw?" Alleta asked him, a small grin threatening her neutral expression.

"So they aren't?" Fred had been trying to discover who the person she was supposedly going to the ball with, since she announced that she had a date. Much like Ron with Hermione, Alleta wasn't letting up and it was rather frustrating. He was still struggling to believe that she had actually found herself one. It was just unlikely, that's all.

"Why don't you wait and see? I mean.. For all you know, they could be a Slytherin. They aren't all bad, you know. Adrian Pucey, the Slytherin chaser is in our year. He's quite lovely."

"Now you're just point blank lying." Fred snorted. "Pucey? Lovely? Now you're pulling my leg."

"He probably wasn't the best example, given your quidditch history, but even then, he's one of the ones who doesn't purposely commit foul play. Is it so hard to believe that I could find a decent Slytherin? Or even just a date to the ball?" She had to admit, the amount of doubt coming from him in regards of her having a date was beginning to be a bit hurtful. But more so, it made him look like a dick.

Fred faltered, taking a moment to look at her, noticing the hurt and annoyance that graced her features. Ah. "No, that's not how I meant it at all. I just like knowing things. Being left in the dark- ugh. No thanks. And Slytherins.. Well you have to admit, us Weasleys haven't had the best experiences with them. Blood traitors and all."

"I know, and I don't expect you to straight out be best buds with them. Maybe try not to discriminate back? Blind hatred just disguises the fact there are nice ones."

"I'll discriminate- well, prank- back however much I like. They've been nothing but arseholes to me. Years of unadulterated hatred. They're just nasty."

"Fred-"

"You don't understand, Lets."

"I don't understand?" Alleta held back her scoff, trying to remain civil. She knew how much it secretly hurt him when people brought his family into it, and she didn't want to discredit that or make him feel like she didn't care, because she did. But he would never try to see the good in them.

"No, you don't." He took a sip of his coffee and pulled a face. Coffee disgusted him. Anyone around him could see that, but nobody said anything because watching him pretend to like it was often hilarious. So much so, that Alleta couldn't help her laugh before she spoke again.

"I'm a mudblood. Fred. I think I know what being hated by Slytherins feels like. We're in our second to last year. Do you really think that I've gone this long at Hogwarts without some sort of blood prejudice inspired bitching or attack?"

Fred wasn't sure why it surprised him to hear this. Of course he knew that muggle borns were subject to bullying and nasty comments, but it had never really clicked that Alleta may have been treated as such.

"What's happened.. you know.. In the past?" His words were hesitant and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, regretting having been slightly sharp tongued with her.

She tilted her head and sipped her orange juice, her thoughts briefly wandering to their other mates and where they were. She hadn't seen anyone else that morning, despite having plans to go into Hogsmeade with Isla. Allie frowned to herself, but released a sharp laugh and reached back, tightening her ponytail. "You wouldn't remember this, but in 4th year I was in the hospital wing for a little while-"

"Wait, I do. I do remember. You were one of the muggle borns that was petrified.. Weren't you?" Fred interrupted.

Shuddering at the memory of the basilisk, Alleta nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, that one sucked, I won't lie." Pausing for a moment, she glanced over at him, thinking. "Why don't you and I walk into the village together? I was planning on meeting Isla there anyway."

About to say something in regards to the aforementioned incident, Fred stopped. "Actually, yeah. That sounds good." He cracked a grin and stood up, grabbing his coat and bobble hat- one Mrs Weasley knitted for him, that, when Alleta saw him wearing it, made her heart soar. He was a mummy's boy really- from the bench.

Pulling her black winter jacket on over the jumper, Allie rubbed her thighs, the Great Hall already being quite drafty and cold. "Let's make a move then." She smiled, walking in time with him, but on the other side of the table, not wanting to do the normal, awkward thing where they would have to figure out how to get from one side to another, which they still struggled with, even as 6th years.

Upon reaching the end of the table, the two met and began walking side by side, out of the castle.

"Fuck."

"Motherfu-"

They both muttered under their breath, shivering as they were greeted with cold gusts of wind. Admittedly, Alleta was surprised there hadn't been any snow as of yet, especially considering the amount of frost that was gathering on the windows and doors outside the castle.

"Bloody hell it's cold." Fred swore, his arms folded across his chest, hugging himself tight while he walked, teeth near chattering.

"And for what. Literally what reason. I love winter, but only when there's snow. Snow makes the cold worth it."

"Yes. Yes, agreed. In 3rd year, George and I chucked snowballs at the back of Quirrell's- you remember Quirrell right?- anyway, we threw snow at the back of his head, right on the turban. Quite good aim actually."

"I would say i'm surprised but that would be a lie."

"Just you wait this year. When there's snow, you won't be safe anywhere."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me, mate."

Alleta scoffed and pulled the hood of her coat up, over her hair, zipping the front closed, the coat stopping at the waistline of her jeans. "They hexed me too."

"What do you mean?"

"Pureblood elitists. Last year, actually. I was running late to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and one of them used the Densaugeo hex on me. Made my two front teeth massive for the next two days. Madame Pomfrey couldn't fix it." She frowned at the memory, remembering how she sobbed back in her dorm and the way the group that did it would make remarks when they saw her.

It was a mild experience in comparison to what other students had to deal with, but she had hated every second of it. Less so because of the teeth. Hell, they weren't even that bad. It was more that she had been bested by those with an overwhelming sense of bigotry. They were never the smartest of people either.

"That's.. Shit." Fred muttered, scuffing his feet against the stones. "Do you remember who it was?"

"I remember their faces and houses. Never learnt their names. They were a couple years above, gone now. One Slytherin and two Hufflepuffs actually. It was one of the Hufflepuffs that did it."

"A Hufflepuff? Seriously?"

"They aren't all sunshine and rainbows Freddie." Alleta teased him gently, nudging his shoulder and looking up at him, tugging on his hair with a grin.

"Knock it off." Deciding to change to subject and, in doing so, not referring back to her statement about Hufflepuffs, Fred tugged her hair in retaliation.

"Oh! Let's go to the three broomsticks later on for lunch, I can braid your hair." Allie exclaimed, the sudden burst of excitement hard to disguise. He had been promising that she could do so for ages but when they were free, neither of them ended up remembering.

"Sure. Why the hell not." He chuckled at her outburst and reached over, pulling the furry hood of the coat over her face, due to it being abnormally, and presumably annoyingly large. It had been falling into Alleta's eyes the whole walk and seeing it, Fred hadn't been able to prevent the thoughts that engulfed his mind.

It was cute. She was cute.

The sudden and intrusive realisation that he had promised to hang out with Angelina later on in the common room came back to him and immediately, he felt a pang of guilt. They weren't dating, and probably would never be, but she was his date to the Yule Ball. The least he could do was spend time with her. She could be quite fun when she wanted to be. Just that occasionally she liked to bash Alleta. That wasn't enjoyable in the slightest.

"Hey, hey Fred." The sharp voice caught his attention and he snapped his gaze over to Lettie. "Honeydukes. Now."

"You and your sweet tooth will be the end of me." Secretly though, he enjoyed it. Seeing the way Lettie would get so thrilled at the prospect of her favourite treats was hilarious.

"Maybe I won't buy you a mini treacle tart then." Her musing was enough to make Fred stop in his tracks, as he raised a finger to point at her.

"What about the pact. Alleta Nancy Blake. Don't you dare dishonour it."

"And don't you dare full name me. I told you about Nancy in confidence."

"I'll do it again if you don't watch your step."

"Fine. Frederick Gideon Weasley. That definitely settled it. No treacle tart today."

"I will see you in the three broomsticks at 1 pm. Until then, don't talk to me."

"Gladly."

"Goodbye."

"Good riddance." Alleta watched him walk off, breaking into a laugh as he turned back, grinning and flipped her off.

"Twat!" She called out, not taking her eyes off him while he walked off, shaking his head. Kind of an adorable one though. No. She wasn't going there. Certainly not today.

Heading in the direction of the dress emporium, Alleta could see the distance figure of Isla by the entrance, chatting to.. George? So that's where they both were.

"Good morning loves." Greeting them loudly, she wrapped an arm around Isla's shoulders, grinning over at her. "Ready to get our pretty on?"

"I was considering trying on that dress right there." George interrupted, pointing in the display case at a green princess dress with a sweetheart neckline.

"Georgie, you would look stunning." Alleta winked.

"I invited George to come with us for this, i figured it would be interesting to have an extra opinion." Isla explained his presence and Allie just shrugged.

"Of course, George is a fashion icon."

"I'll only give you my expert and honest opinion, however, if you spill who the lucky man is." The ginger boy smirked, glancing down at her as the three of them walked in, exchanging brief pleasantries with the owner.

"So long as you promise not to tell Fred."

"Alle-"

"No deal then."

"Ugh sure, though I don't know why it's such a big deal."

"It's not that.. I just- It's Cedric. And we're only going as friends of course, but i don't know. I like the fact that Fred thinks I have a proper date. It doesn't make any sense, not even to me. But he has Angelina and she's so pretty and he was planning on asking me as a pity friend date. I guess I just like the way I still have 2 weeks to enjoy how it feels with him believing somebody would like me like that." Pausing for a breath, Alleta studiously avoided eye contact with both her mates. "Look, I don't get it either." She laughed to fill the silence. "I wouldn't want to go to the ball with a romantic date. There's nobody I see like that, but it's nice being viewed as somebody that other people are attracted to?"

"Hey, calm down. I get it."

"So do I. Besides, you and Cedric will both be so fucking hot." Isla chimed in, nodding. "The two of you together- wow. Power move."

Flushing, Alleta rolled her eyes and shoved her playfully. "Yeah yeah, says you. Let's just choose our dresses." She frowned slightly and glanced between both Isla and George. "Anyway, who are you two taking."

They each froze briefly and exchanged a barely decipherable look, and then it clicked. "Oh my god. Each other. You're going with each other!"

George looked panicked "Shush, Allie, keep it down. We're just experimenting for a bit you know? We might. We might now. Go with the flow." He winked at Isla, who was visibly far more relaxed than moments ago.

"You two are incredible and gorgeous and yes. Yes. Yes. We need to focus on your dress and your dress robes." Alleta addressed them both, taking a dramatic step back to examine.

"Black. I'm wearing a black dress. Or at least, I want to." Isla blurted, before Allie could make any spur of the moment decisions.

"I'm living for that."

"You are going to be smoking, I'd tap that." George teased and kissed her cheek, not too worried about PDA now Alleta was aware of them, before all three dispersed into the back of the shop; where an undetectable extension charm disguised the racks upon racks of dresses.

"The search begins."

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	17. chapter sixteen

December 10th, 1994- Saturday

"How is it still so fucking cold?"

"Just because we've been inside for a couple hours doesn't mean that the weather will have changed in our favour."

"That didn't actually require an answ- Look at my fingertips! They're blue, Allie! My fingertips are turning blue."

"Don't be so dramatic. I'm sure they're fine!"

"George, look! Allie doesn't believe me, my fingertips will fall off. I'm telling you."

Huffing at Isla's incessant whining, Alleta reached over and grabbed her hands while walking, and holding them in both of hers. She ignored George chuckling at them from the other side of Isla and began rubbing the other girl's fingers.

"Is this better?" Allie teased in dry amusement, watching as her friend's expression lightened, and throwing her a grin.

"A little, perhaps."

"Only a little?"

"Fuck off."

"No, no I don't think I will."

"Come on you two, stop the bickering, we're going to be late." George intervened, moving between them and slinging his arm around both their shoulders and leading them in the direction of the pub.

"As if Fred would be surprised, besides, he's probably found Angelina or something." Alleta laughed, accidentally knocking the bag carrying her dress, contained in a box, against a fence. "Fuck." She muttered, moving it closer in and against her legs. The dress was stunning, not even she could deny it and she was struggling with the anticipation of being able to wear it at the ball in 2 weeks time.

"Hah." Snorting, George offered a half shrug, "I wouldn't expect anything less to be honest, the poor bugger is taken with her." Not true in the slightest. He knew that full well, but Alleta didn't.

"Yeah well.." She trailed off, listening to the sound of the heels of her boots as they walked through the street, approaching the three broomsticks.

"If she's in there though, try and be civil." There was a momentary pause. "I'm not her biggest fan either, but come on." George looked between her and Isla, who was nodding in agreement. "For Fred's sake." She added.

Rolling her eyes, Alleta shoved a hand in her jacket pocket and opened the door to the pub, enjoying the moment the warmth from inside engulfed her.

George and Isla apparently shared the sentiment, for they audibly exhaled, George's arm resting lightly on her waist, the two of them standing slightly beside Alleta, who was scanning the tables. "Fred!" She called out, immediately once having spotted a flash of ginger in a back booth. Making her way over, unable to prevent the wide grin that had formed, she began removing her scarf, wrapping the knitted blue material around her hand.

Then she paused, her smile slipping. Just for a moment. But enough for Isla to notice and, without question, moved by her side. Beside Fred, sat Angelina. "Wonderful." Alleta chuckled dryly, not quite a volume at which anyone could hear.

"Alleta." Fred smirked at them, beckoning the small group over. She didn't fail to realise the change in her name, nor how Angelina was studiously ignoring her, but she brushed it off and out of her mind. Preferable for good. "Where did you end up at?" Allie took a seat, making sure both George and Isla sat first, so she was far from both Fred and Angelina.

"Where do you think? Honeydukes, of course. Had to sneak a few treacle tarts considering you wouldn't go with me." He shot a teasing, accusatory look at the brunette girl who was now sat diagonal from him, about to say something else when his twin stood. "Drinks?"

"Butterbeer, please." Alleta smiled up at George, both Isla and Fred echoing the choice. "And you, Angelina?"

The other girl wore an expression of surprise among being included in the offer. "Sure, just a butterbeer. Thanks." She shrugged, her cool gaze momentarily landing on Alleta, before flickering away.

Shifting uncomfortably, Allie cleared her throat and began an attempt to converse with her "How did dress shopping go Angelina? Find one you liked?"

"It went well actually. I'm wearing burgundy, Gryffindor colours. They're Fred's favourite you see." Angelina narrowed her eyes at her, moving her hand to wrap around Fred's arm. "Who did you say your date was again?" She offered a rather sickly sweet smile.

"I didn't." Alleta shrugged, returning the smile.

"Oh." The response was short, and only caused pause for a slight minute. "You do have one though... right? I mean.. Surely somebody asked you?"

"Ang." Fred hissed under his breath, nudging her lightly. He didn't know what she hoped to achieve but something about her tone didn't sit quite right with him.

"Actu-" Alleta started, before finding her words cut off by George's return; clearly uncomfortable with the energy around him. He carefully placed the butterbeers down on the table, spilling slightly. "Fuck it." He groaned, shaking his hands, which had gradually been dribbled on with the beer.

Isla laughed gently and reached over, grabbing a tissue from the side, wiping his hands, the contact lingering a second too long. "Dumbass." She muttered at him, tutting quietly, the impact lessening from the grin.

"As if you're any better." George smirked, swatting the back of her head lightly and sliding onto the bench, pressing their sides together. The contact being slight, but not enough to capture the attention of his brother; of which, he was keen to avoid at least until the ball.

"Honeydukes. You were saying, Fred." Alleta broke through the uncomfortable quiet and looked across the table at him, only to be met with those bloody brown eyes. Apologetic and awkward.

"Right." He coughed and averted his gaze to where Angelina's hand lay claim around his arm. "I got those mini treacle tarts I was both promised and denied within moments of one another. Oh! And-" Fred hesitated, almost debating his next words. "I got you a couple chocolate frogs. I know how much you like them."

"You didn't!" She beamed, stifling it after a second. She hadn't realised he knew what her favourite would be, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Fred shrugged, seemingly nonchalantly, but George knew better. Especially given the way his cheeks had tinted slightly, and not just from the cold. Fred knew how much Alleta loved them, and certainly the reaction of which he would receive.

"It's not much, but who knows. Maybe you'll get some new cards for your collection. You're still missing Bowman Wright and Carlotta Pinkstone, aren't you?"

"Among many others, but yes, i would kill for those two." She frowned and then turned to address the group. "None of you have them do you?" She was met with apologetic frowns and shakes of the head, aside from Angelina, who simply shrugged; seemingly her favourite use of body language.

"Maybe for christmas I should buy you a lifetime supply of chocolate frogs." Fred mused playfully, watching her face morph from disappointment to elation.

"I certainly wouldn't complain." Alleta downplayed her reaction, a small smile resting across her lips. "Obviously that's unrealistic, but I didn't think we were doing presents? I mean.. None of us had mentioned it." That wasn't necessarily a lie. She had been planning on buying them all a present. Hell, she already bought Fred something. It wasn't much, just a couple treacle tarts and a bunch of potion ingredients she had seen him scrawling down. He needed them to make more supplies but, from what she could see, he hadn't been able to get them recently.

At her words, both Fred and George exchanged a sheepish look, as if they couldn't decide if they wanted to say something. "We-" George started reluctantly. "We were probably just going to make something. Skiving snackbox prototypes or food or whatnot." Fred interrupted, sensing his brother's hesitance. "Mum and Dad.. Well, they're struggling a bit this year, so we figured it'd be better not to ask for any money for presents, you know? Besides, I'm a bloody great cook when I want to be. I make banging fudge. We both do, don't we George?" He partially trailed off, plastering a grin across his features and making a point not to look at Angelina's pouty face.

Alleta immediately felt guilty for bringing presents up, but it was overwhelmed with her annoyance toward Angelina, who, since Fred mentioned to lack of money, had folded her arms against her chest grumpily. "Of course! Don't worry about presents at all in fact. I was probably just going to get you sweets."

Despite her words, Fred both looked and felt miserable, but he deflected the intrusive feelings by throwing around jokes about who would be more likely to get Mcgonagall to dance with them. He was placing his bets on himself and his natural charisma.

"Alleta won't be dancing with anybody, that's for sure. I doubt you're even going to go. You won't be able to face us once you reveal you don't actually have a date." Angelina giggled, ignoring the way the air around them dulled. She was jealous of the Ravenclaw girl, but more than that, she just didn't like her. Too in love with herself. It pissed Angelina off.

"Oh fuck off." Unable to bite the words back, Alleta clamped her mouth shut, stifling the laugh that followed. "I have a date. Though who he is, is none of your business. So, like I said, fuck off."

Angelina glared at her and rolled her eyes, standing up and ignoring the muffled chuckles from Isla and George. She refused to look at Fred, not wanting to see his reaction. "No need to be such a bitch. I was merely making an observation."

"Neither of us like each other, that much is obvious. So just leave. Your mates are over there." Allie pointed in the direction of Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet, who sat a couple tables over, oblivious to the interaction.

Pointedly not responding, Angelina smirked and leaned down, taking Fred by the chin, tilting his head and kissing him. There was no hesitation nor doubt as she did so. He was very obviously taken aback at first but, surprisingly to Alleta's disappointment, he slipped his tongue between her lips and cupped the back of her neck. Both party grinned as Angelina pulled away, planting another brief kiss on his lips. "See you back at the castle Fred." She whispered, walking away, her bag in her grasp, without giving any of the other three a second glance.

Alleta sat there, unsure of how to react. She knew that they were dating or seeing each other or some shit, but having the very blatant reality of it displayed right in front of her.. Well that simply wasn't welcome. She felt slightly queasy from the amount of shared saliva that she had seen.

"Lovely." Isla muttered dryly, despite the low tone to her voice, it cut through the crisp air like a knife.

"Good on you mate. Though it's not something I really want to see again. Nah. Try and keep it in your pants when I'm around, yeah?" George joked, lightening the mood and scrunching his nose. It wasn't a lie. He didn't appreciate seeing his brother fully snog a girl right in front of him. But mainly, he did it so Alleta would have more time to compose herself before Fred noticed how much she had paled. Gone white as a sheet really. The previous tint from the cold air was now gone.

"Bugger off would ya?" Fred snorted, wiping his lips with the back of his sleeve. His eyes flitted to Lettie, who gave him a smile. It was unconvincing and he couldn't ignore the stab of guilt in his stomach. Sure, he and Angelina were 'dating' but neither of them were that into it. Angelina was with him to piss off Alleta, and he was with her because.. Well.. He didn't know.

"Shall we go back to the castle via the Shrieking Shack?" Alleta suggested, her voice shaky. She stood, pulled her scarf on and wrapped it back around her neck, the rest of their small group mimicking the action.

George and Isla shared a conspiratorial look and she went over to him, standing at a small distance from Alleta and Fred.   
"You know what I'm thinking, don't you?" Isla whispered, making a point of fiddling with George's hat, adjusting it over his hair gently.

"We ditch them?" He offered as a potential answer.

"They need to realise how they feel. Not how the other feels about them, but how they, themselves, feel." She told him, frowning. "I hope it makes sense. But you and I both know that they're into each other, at least a little. I mean, fucking hell, it's obvious. But neither of them seem to understand their ow feelings."

"No, no you do make sense. I know what you mean." George glanced over at the other two, who were currently bickering quietly about which tasted better; sherbet lemons or liquorice snaps. "Sherbet lemons obviously." George told Isla, shaking his head. They were never really the sort to dwell on something. Both of them liking to avoid confrontation, so the fact they were already onto a completely different topic didn't surprise him in the slightest.

"Look, they're so in their own world that they won't notice us leaving." Grabbing his hand, Isla tugged him away and they both snuck around a corner and out the pub, into the chilly weather. Laughing with one another, already plotting another way to leave Fred and Alleta together.

"Liquorice snaps attack you! You cannot possibly be stupid enough to believe that they taste the best!" Alleta glared at him.

"I like them with a bit of bite. Just like my women." Fred winked, flinching back in dramatics when she hit his arm lightly. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! They just taste so much better. Sherbet lemons are too... Ugh."

"You're too ugh."

"Rich coming from y-" Fred stopped mid sentence and looked around. "Hey. Where did they go?"

At first, Alleta thought it was just a tactic to get her to stop talking because he knew she was right -What a shock that one would be- but then, upon glancing up and around them, she saw that Isla and George had left. About to make a remark to do with them possibly having gone off to snog, she remembered Fred didn't know. "Scumbags. Ditching me with you. That's fake friend behaviour."

"You act as if me being given time to spend alone with you is the worlds biggest gift. Oh how honoured I must be." Fred rolled his eyes, but smiled. He hadn't been sure of how to act with Alleta after the thing just gone with Angelina, especially given how he had been surprised by himself for kissing her back, when all he could think of was the brunette opposite him. Definitely not what he wanted. But she was making it easy to act like nothing had happened.

"Let's just- Let's just go, then. Back to Hogwarts?" She suggested, already starting to move toward the door.

Following her, Fred nodded and shivered from the cold greeting, as gusts of wind flew in upon opening the door, the frost outside having increased drastically since they entered the three broomsticks. "Fuck. Its bloody freezing. Do we have to?"

"Dont be a woos." Allie smirked, grabbing his arm and pulling him outside, making sure her beanie was properly on her head and pulling her scarf to cover her chin a little big more.

"It's cold Lettie." He groaned, trudging alongside her. Fred loved winter. When there was bloody snow. Because at least with snow he could throw it at people. When it was just bone chillingly cold, everything was miserable. "Lettie.. About Angelina."

"Don't. I don't like her. She doesn't like me. That's the end of it."

"But I just wanted so say sorry.. You know.. Abou-"

She cut him off with a smile, swallowing what she really wanted to say. That she hated seeing the two of them together. That nothing made sense; not the jealously, not the nausea in her gut. And certainly not the way that all she wanted to do was ki-

"You aren't going to justify anything to me Fred Weasley. You can be with who you want. As can I. How they act shouldn't reflect on us or have an impact on our friendship."

Watching her while walking, Fred nodded, keeping a safe distance. "Thank you." He whispered. "I know she's not exactly a saint-" At this, Alleta scoffed. "But-"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before he felt something on his cheek. And then another. And another. Until it became very clear that the little things falling from the sky were snowflakes.

Immediately upon realisation, he and Lettie made eye contact and ear splitting grins led them to forget the past conversation.

"It's snowing!" They exclaimed at the same time. It was coming down heavy now, making it hard to see. Reaching out, Fred clasped his hand over Lettie's forearm, pulling her closer to him, making sure they didn't lose each other.

"Tomorrow. Me and you. Outside. Snowball fight." He yelled over the wind, as people around them began rushing inside and back towards the castle.

"You're so on!" Allie laughed, clutching onto him as they made into a jog toward the carriages, only to run past them. They were always used as a last resort, as both of them preferred the walk. Even in the falling snow.

It was going to be a white Christmas. That was certain.

And what could go bad at Christmas?

It was, after all, the happiest time of the year.

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	18. alleta's letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alleta writes home

December 20th, 1994  
Dear Mum and Dad,

I hope you're having a bloody brilliant Christmas holiday together. Make sure to send me a polaroid of the tree so I can grant my approval, you know how I get! Mum, you better not have let dad pick up the first one he could find. Some scrawny, pathetic one. Dad, if you did, the Christmas present on the way is not to be opened until next year. You won't deserve it.

Once again, I'm sorry for not coming home this year, it's just that there's the Yule Ball on the 25th and I promised Cedric I would be his date. You remember Cedric, don't you? My ex-boyfriend. He's the one whose house I stayed at for a week last easter. You liked him a lot actually. Either way, we're just going as friends. Neither of our first choices were available. I bought my dress! I'll have Isla take a picture of Cedric and I on the night, for me to send home. I cant lie, I'm rather fond of it. It's pretty.

Is Cassie going to be joining you this year? Or is she too busy at work? Oh!! If she is going to be home, will Ethan be with her? I know you can't wait to take the piss out of him again Mum. How's his hair coming along after the last visit? Still Pink?

It's snowing here! Snow! At Christmas! Can you believe it? Certainly not something we ever really get in Surrey. But that's Scotland for you. It's so beautiful, I wish you could see it. Especially up in the owlery. You can see for miles. Just snowy hills everywhere. I love it.

Christmas day is only 5 days away now, so, as I mentioned earlier, you both have a present on the way. (I sent it via muggle post from the village, Hogsmeade.) It should arrive just after this letter. I expect you both to put them under the tree and not to open or touch until the 25th. Understood? I'll know otherwise ;)

Dad, this next part is just for mum, so don't be nosy, bugger off, and come back later when she tells you to.

Fred asked Angelina to the ball. And I'm happy for him, I really am. She makes him happy, though I must admit, I cant see why. They've decided to coordinate colours. Dark Red. For Gryffindor. Red is definitely her colour, too. She's going to look so beautiful. I still don't know how I feel about Fred, after all, we've only been mates since September, surely that's not long enough to feel.. Well.. This way, about him.

I don't know.

But please don't tell dad or Cassie, you know they would mock me relentlessly for this. It makes me feel nauseous even thinking about it. Embarrassing.

Are things alright with you and dad? You mentioned an argument in the last letter.

Alright, dad can come back now.

Have a good Christmas and please tell me your cover story for my absence is better than last years. You know full well that Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom didn't buy the fact I had to take 'Winter school' in the slightest. And frankly, neither would I. 'Winter school' I mean seriously, it's ridiculous.

I love you lots. Mum, enjoy dad's Christmas roast, I miss it more than I miss the two of you.

Bye,   
Alleta x

-

December 23rd 1994  
Darling Alleta,

Mum's writing and dad's offering the occasional input, though you can guess what sort of comments he's making. 'Tell her not to tell her father to bugger off. If anything, she's the nosy sod. It's her bad influence.' Was among the many things he insisted on my writing. You're welcome for that, by the way.

As if I would let your dad go tree shopping on his own. No. We have the perfect one, as shown in the photo in the envelope. He wasn't much use, just a load of whining and groaning, as I'm sure you can imagine. Not so different from the last time we went looking for one with you and Cassie. It seems so long ago now, doesn't it?

Don't worry about staying at school for Christmas, Allie. It's a bloody ball, of course we understand! And I'm sure your dress will look absolutely stunning on you. You've always been much better at style than me. Certainly better than your dad.

Cassie is coming today actually! She's bringing the boyfriend with her too. They're staying until boxing day and then going to Ethan's parents. I forget, are they muggles too or is he a.. Pureblood? Was that the term? You and your fancy language. But no, sadly, his hair has recovered from your father's little mishap with Cassie's hair dye. Though why dye from when she was 14 years old was still in the bathroom cabinet is beyond me. You girls need to get better at clearing up after yourselves. I dread to imagine what your dormitory looks like. Your poor roommates.

Snow in Scotland? What a shock.  
Considering you've been going to school there for 6 bloody years, you'd think you'd know that it snowed.

Yes, those were your fathers words. Always a charmer.  
I kicked him out the room while I wrote this part (and made him promise not to touch the presents, which came today actually! He's struggling already.)

Fred. Even his name screams trouble.  
I don't know what to say about this boy, darling. I much prefer Cedric to the likes of this one. You may not know how you feel about him yet, but I think you're in deep. Given the way he's dating that Angelina girl, it's clear to me he doesn't care about you.

He's going to break your heart, Alleta Nancy.

Distance yourself.

That's all I can say to you on the matter.  
Your father and I both love and miss you.  
We have created a much better cover story in that simply, your aunt and uncle aren't coming over this year.

Merry Christmas darling,  
Mum x

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	19. chapter seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the yule ball is here

December 25th 1994,  
The Yule Ball

Fred was pacing anxiously by the entrance of the Great Hall. He had been waiting for Angelina for a good 5 minutes by this point and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. While the two of them were still going as dates, since that day in Hogsmeade, things had been slightly more off than usual. On his part, at the very least, he was being neutral toward the girl, so not to give any false hope for a relationship. Because, to be honest, if backing out didn't make him a complete and utter prick, he would have rather gone the the ball solo. Angelina, however.. Was more touchy with him, but her mannerisms were growing exceedingly cold and distant. Fred struggled to put words or an expression to it, just simply that she seemed startlingly aware of his lack of feelings for her, while also unwilling to denounce her apparent claim over him, which was just ridiculous.

He fiddled anxiously with the sleeve of his black dress robe, his head bowed slightly and ginger locks briefly covering his eyes. People were already starting to enter the hall, despite the fact that the only champion, all of whom were required to lead the first dance with their partners, who was actually waiting on time was Harry and his date Cho. He commended the kid actually; having the guts to ask out the girl he wanted and for her to actually say yes. Much unlike Ron, who was skirting around the fact that Hermione was very clearly into him. He had ended up taking one of the Parvati twins, who, admittedly, was very pretty, but it was apparent she liked Ron as much as he did, her. Which was not much. Not much at all.

"Oi, pisshead." A voice, not unlike his own, grasped his attention, and Fred glanced around, snorting at the sight of George. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, screaming Isla's influence. The girl in mention being by his side; her hand clasped around his forearm. "Took you two long enough. I'm hurt this was kept a secret from me. How could you?" He pouted, taking in Isla. She wore a dark green dress, sleek and slim fitting, a simply gold necklace was secured at her neck. She did not lack style, that was certain. "Bloody stunning." Fred winked playfully, which had only earned him an eyeroll and smirk in return.

"As if you would be able to keep your gob shut. You're my best mate and all but you lack any sense of subtlety. Foolhardy. That's a word more accurate to describe you than subtle." George scowled, though it wasn't half serious.

"We just wanted to keep it between us for a little while. If you were more observant, like Alleta, you'd have figured it out within days most likely." Isla retorted, standing between the twins, an eyebrow quirked.

"Alleta knew?" This surprised Fred. He and Lettie had been spending more time together as of late. Or, at least when Angelina was occupied. She seemed to be rather keen on making little comments directed at Lettie if they were in the same vicinity for longer than necessary. Not that the Ravenclaw was any better; she had given up trying to let things slide, so there were many times where Fred or Katie Bell would pull one of the girls to the side before allowing things to escalate. It wasn't a severe issue, just minor bitching that was equal on both parts. Nothing that couldn't be prevented. Not that it would need to for much longer. Angelina would barely be around after this evening.

"Yeah. She had suspected it for a while I suppose, but George and I confirmed it on our last trip to Hogsmeade as a group. When we went dress shopping." Isla paused for a long moment "Because, as difficult as it may be to believe, Weasley, Alleta can keep a secret."

"I can keep one! Just- there's never any need?" Fred protested, trailing off in almost a questioning way, as not even he could deny his urges to gloat about him being the first to know of something major happening.

"Save us the excuses mate. It's who you are, you could change it, obviously, but hey ho." George snickered and reached above Isla's head in order to flick his ear.

About to retaliate, Fred was taken aback by the contact of somebody wrapping an arm around his waist, and he tensed awkwardly.

"Fred." Angelina reached up and whispered in his ear as a greeting, her hand squeezing his side.

"Ang. You look-" Pulling back, he tilted his chin in order to observe her. Angelina had sported a, as she said she would, dark red gown that hugged her figure until her feet, where it splayed out slightly. Like a mermaid tail. Made sense. Her hair was down her back in her usual, multiple braids, with the addition of silver thread embedded in them. Presumably to provide a shine. She was lovely. He couldn't deny it. Just not Lett- Just not his person.

"no You look nice. Pretty. " Fred offered an encouraging and meaningful smile, but tactfully moved out of her grip, noticing that more people were starting to file into the hall.

"Make a move dumbass." Isla called, having already walked past the large staircase and toward the awaiting winter themed decorations. "Shove off!" He responded, despite how he had begun to guide Angelina toward them; his hand hovering lightly over the small of her back.

They passed three of the champions; Harry, Fleur and Krum. Krum who, by his side, stood Hermione. That was a new development and one, he was sure Ron did not feel terribly excited over. It occurred to him briefly that he was yet to see Lettie. Maybe she wasn't coming? Was Angelina genuinely right in her assumptions? Perhaps that was why Lettie had reacted to them so much. He decided against asking his date if she had seen the other girl, not even he was daft enough not to realise that it would fuel a fire. A fire that would likely be wise to avoid. Still. He was unable to rid himself of the lingering concern. Would Lettie really not show up because of a bloke? It just didn't seem like her. She was probably late. Hell. She was definitely late.

Upon entry, Fred noted the difference in the Great Hall to what it had been just that morning. Decorative icicles hung from the arched roof, circular tables were clothed in a sheer blue-white. Fabric had been draped, encircling the hall, each separate one seemingly glistened; the ice-blue colour only enhancing. Fred rarely found himself so stunned by decorations. Generally, it was a rather boring focus of conversation, and not one he would entertain. But this was incredible.

The crowd, having previously been dispersed, moved toward the centre of the dance floor, standing around it beside their respective dates. An entry walk and circle had been formed, for the champions, Fred assumed. Angelina had found her way back to his side, her arm linking with his and pulling herself close. He didn't bother to move away. What was the harm?

The volume of the music, that had been playing at a gentle, minute tone, was increased. Having to crane his neck, though not by much, Fred looked toward the large oak doors, having done the same as the majority of the people around him. Fleur and her date, Robert- a Ravenclaw, led the way, both gliding elegantly. Who the fuck walks like that? It's as if she were able to walk among water. There was no slight stagger or stumble. How. The train of thought tugged a frown into his expression, one of mild confusion. However, it was quickly wiped as Hermione walked in, being led hand in hand, by Kruger. Instinctively, he found that he sought of the face of his younger brother. Able to sense that George, beside him, was doing the exact same thing. Bingo. Stifling a snort, he exchanged a smug glance with his twin. Ron looked royally pissed. Idiot. Then, walked in Harry and Cho. Both shorter than the others in comparison, with Harry fumbling awkwardly, his features etched with uncertainty. Something Cho, very clearly, was entertained by, as she whispered things to him. Ready to cheer over the dull, classical music for Cedric, Fred paused. Then stopped moving entirely. His heart dropping and eyes honing in on the Hufflepuff's date.

Lettie. His Lettie.

He didn't fail to see the irony in that he had asked another girl. But that was not what was at the forefront of his mind. No.

She was beautiful. Truly beautiful.

Her dark hair hung in thick, gentle waves that reached her mid back. The front strands had been pinned away from her face by tiny gems that reflected when they caught the light. Her eyes were a vibrant blue, emphasised by the dress. It was a soft silver with hints of blue and grey. She had a sweetheart neckline, embroidered with small amounts of lace, that followed down the gown and gradually disappeared at the lower, flowing skirts. Lettie wore a nervous smile, her lips natural with a shiny gloss. They were soft. Kissable.

Kissable-

His attention was drawn away from him and towards her date. Cedric. Cedric Diggory. Nothing could entirely explain the unwelcome feeling that had stirred in his stomach. It wasn't jealousy. He refused to let it be jealousy. Because for Fred to be jealous, he would have to feel something for the girl. That would complicate everything.

And yet, he couldn't deny the way everything around him had seemingly paused upon seeing Lettie. Fred felt increasingly foolish about having doubted her capabilities in regards to getting a date. It was as though, every single quality about her that he had previously taken for granted or overlooked, was now clear as day.

Her unwavering lateness. A quality of which, he had come to grow fond of; often disappointed when she was, in fact, on time.

The way she fiddled with her own fingers when anxious. He had seen her, multiple times, twisting them, bending them against her other palm or stretching them out. All under the table. Like she doesn't realise she's even doing it.

Or how she snorts when she laughs.

Her dimples.

It was all as clear as day to him now. The smaller things that hadn't done much to enrapture his attention were what made him feel- feel.. This.

And there she was, on the dance floor. With Cedric. Her ex boyfriend, best friend, date. Were they dates? Or did they go as friends? It was hard to tell. All Fred was able to concentrate on was the hand placement. Cedric held her, with one on her waist, and her hand in his, muttering what looked to be the direction in which to dance. She was a terrible dancer. Something Fred didn't know before this. But something Cedric did.

It was apparent that Fred knew little of Lettie. Of how she felt, what she truly feared, or loved. Her muggle life. Fuck. She had a whole other world that he knew jack shit about. Of course she would be into Cedric.

They barely knew each other at all.

The realisation stung, but it made him determined to change it. How could he have any type of feelings for her if he couldn't even give the name of her childhood pet. If she had one.

He bet Cedric would know.

It wouldn't surprise him if the two dated again. They seemed perfect together. Hufflepuff's golden boy and the wily, beautiful girl from Ravenclaw.

There was no room for a rowdy, freckled ginger in her life.

"Dance with me?" Fred asked, turning to Angelina, desperate for the distraction.

She smirked and took his hand. "It would be my pleasure."

They, among other pairings, ascended the dance floor. He positioned his hands correctly and effectively, beginning the purposeful movements in time to the music.

Neither of them tried to make conversation. It was possible that Angelina could sense his reluctance to interact. So instead, just as the music slowed, she reached up, her arms wrapping loosely around his neck, and pressed her body against his.

Before allowing himself to submerge entirely in the moment, Fred glanced over at Lettie, who had already been looking at him.

The two made eye contact and she smiled, shyly? He couldn't tell. But he hadn't managed to return it when her face fell, just a little, and she averted her gaze.

Fuck it.

He needed to escape. To have fun, without the intrusive thoughts of the brunette beauty from across the floor.

Fred gave Angelina a charming smile, one hand wandering down slightly, and finding its way to cup her arse provocatively. It was subtle enough that not many would be able to notice, but it was evident that she had felt it and returned the sentiment.

"Let's get a drink, yeah?" Having tiptoed up, her breath fanned his ear, each pronounced syllable flawlessly interpreted.

"No objections here." Fred smirked, his head bowing to utter the words in her ear, briefly nibbling her earlobe. Something that, in their past excursions, he had discovered her to be quite the sucker for.

Guiding one another off the dance floor, they headed straight for one of the tables, where refreshments were displayed. "I assume you came prepared?" He mused, narrowing his eyes in her direction.

"What am I? A Hufflepuff. Of course I did."

Involuntarily, his mind skirted back to the discussion about houses and prejudice with Lettie, but he banished the memory as quickly as it appeared.

"Good. So did I." He chuckled, producing a flask from his robes, while she pulled one out of her purse. Undoubtedly, later in the evening, the drinks supplied would be spiked. But getting a head start was so much more rewarding.

And distracting.

Linking arms with Angelina, they made eye contact, each holding their flask. "1..2..3.." On three, they took a swig and she giggled, accompanied with his snort. They moved to sit to the side, pressed rather close together, as they continued to sip at the fiery liquid, whispering and barking out laughter.

Unaware of the confused blue eyes flickering over at them incessantly. 

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	20. chapter nineteen

| Listen to 'Magic Works' by The Weird Sisters, while reading :) |

December 25th, 1994  
The Yule Ball

Her feet were beginning to hurt as Cedric grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her back onto the dance floor. "No rest for the wicked." He yelled over the blaring music, pushing through the crowds of the overly energetic Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students. They had been dancing for at least 2 hours now, occasionally switching around partners. Isla and Alleta had done a slow dance together, much to the amusement of George and Cedric. The two girls had spent the evening barely leaving one another's sides, with their dates tagging along. There had barely been a moment where Alleta had stopped laughing.

"You try dancing in 4 inch heels for hours on end, Diggory, then come back and tell me I'm not allowed to rest." Despite this, she allowed him to reach their hands up and spin her around, almost knocking people out of their way. In her heels, she reached just under 6 foot, making her almost his height, which they both found to be hilarious.

"I'd rather not. Do you really think I would be able to find any that fit my feet? They're massive." The song changed to a heavy metal sort and they exchanged a grin. This was a song the two of them had listened to on repeat back when they were dating. Cedric winked and began shaking his head to the tune; his hair tangling in itself. Mimicking his movements, Alleta grinned, making a slight noise of amusement as she was pushed around unintentionally by people dancing around her.

Her hair was falling out of it's pins and into her face while her arms raised into the air, moving with the beat. She was flushed and unable to stop the constant laughs that escaped during her and Cedric's reenactment of the song as they yelled out the lyrics. He was an awful singer.

Isla came up behind her and grabbed her wrist, grinning. "Dance with me Allie! George still thinks he and Cedric are better!" Their voices had seemingly adjusted to a well above average volume, overcoming the struggles of attempting to hear each other with the music in the background. "They do?" Alleta scoffed and pulled a face, taking both of Isla's hands in hers, shooting George a glare, who was watching in complete hysterics. He had very much, not so subtly, been drinking.

"It's bullshit, innit?"

"I hear nothing but the truth." Allie had begun to move closer toward Cedric, in order to ask his opinion on the matter, when she felt someone's gaze on her. Briefly flickering her eyes across the room, they landed on Fred. He had already been looking in her direction, his face both stony and.. confused or hurt? she wasn't able to tell. Yet, before she could offer a gesture of invitation, as he seemed to be skirting the outskirts of their group for no apparent reason, Cedric came up behind her and linked their arms, dragging her into the centre of the room and entirely out of Fred's eyeline. "I'm hotter than you." He winked down at Alleta, his point only embedded by a Beauxbatons girl giving him the eye. "Nobody gives a shit Ced, move on and dance with me." Grinning, she took both wrists and began to forcefully move him in time with the then, at least until he was doing so, willingly.

They continued like this for a little while longer until the music died down and the people surrounding them began to slow their movements. A much slower song began to play and it was one that Alleta used to play constantly. It would drive her roommates up the wall. Taking the moment to excuse herself, she fanned her face as she brushed through the crowds, going to get a drink from the refreshments table. Glancing back, she formed a small smile at the sight of Isla and George moving slowly, his head bent to whisper things in her ear. It was nice to see her happy, as it had been a while since Isla had laughed like that.

" 'Scuse me." Alleta said, making her way to where the drinks where. Stopping abruptly, she came almost face to face with Fred and Angelina. They were on one of the seats pressed up against the wall, with her side sat on his lip. They were locked together in a rather passionate looking snog. Her hands were cupping his cheeks, while one of his was snaking up her thigh, under her dress and dangerously nearing her area, and the other rested at the back of her neck, fingers entwined in her hair. Beside them lay a knocked over, now empty, flask, along with a few other cups that had god knew what in, but from what she could tell, they were drunk. Rather drunk. Alleta glared at them half heartedly, muttering incoherent words of upset under her breath.

Before she was able to avert her gaze, Fred looked up, their eyes meeting. His expression immediately hardened and went cold. She faltered, falling still. What was she supposed to do? She was struggling to process anything aside from where Fred's hand was. Up her dress. Having pushed the slit to the side, where it almost bunched up by her waist. Not that many would have noticed; they were in a darker area of the room, and the majority of people around them were pissed.

Swallowing the lump that threatened to form in her throat, Alleta stumbled back, accidentally knocking a cup off of a table directly behind her. "Fuck." The word escaped her before she could control it, as she desperately grabbed a cloth to mop up the spilt liquid. It was useless. The pink only staining it. Instead, she grabbed the cup, placing it back on the table, and abandoned it, leaving the cloth soaking on the floor. Unable to think straight.

She hurried from the hall. It felt as though it was closing in on her. She didn't know where she wanted to go, just that she needed out. The snow. The snow was good. Cold. Her skin was too warm. Too flustered.

The cold winters breeze hit her upon leaving from the large doorway and finding herself where she had earlier been greeted by Cedric. Taking a deep breath, Alleta went a sat on one of the steps. There were a few other people dotted around, but no more then 4 or 5. It was hard to tell. She wasn't focused on them.

Pressing her back against the cool stone, she rested her head and closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. The way Fred had looked at her- his expression hard and shut off- it wasn't like one she had seen before. Certainly not one he had intended for her. At least, in the past. She didn't understand.

Not the way he glared at her, or the way that her heart was physically aching. It was only then that she realised Fred had not said a word to her all evening. In fact, she had barely seen the lad. Had she done something? Mentally, Alleta recounted the moments she had spent with him in the days leading up to the Yule Ball.

The last they had spoken was yesterday night, and even then, it had barely been longer than a few minutes; both of them being in a hurry to get back to their dorms. She was struggling to think of something that could have sparked animosity.

"Alleta."

The familiar voice grabbed her attention, forming an impending sense of dread. He had not called her Alleta since before the day in detention back in September. She reluctantly opened her eyes and hastily wiped fallen tears that she hadn't noticed before.

"What's your problem?" Fred narrowed his eyes at her, watching as she practically scurried to her feet, standing before him. He met her eyes; the two of them almost standing at the same height with her heels, though he still had a good 3 inches on her. She was flushed and her hair was falling in loose strands over her face. While he had spent the night avoiding her and his developing feelings, she had been dancing, drinking with Cedric and their friends, not giving him a second thought. He couldn't explain why, but it hurt.

"My problem?" Alleta glared at him; her lips patting in surprise.

"Yes. your problem. You don't just get to glare at Angelina and I and act like nothing bothers you." Granted, he was clutching at straws, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"For fuck sake Fred, really? You were pretty much dry humping each other in public." She folded her arms against her chest defensively "Get a room. Not that you're very good at that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe that the two of you are constantly down each other's throats."

"Hardly." Fred scoffed, shoving his hands into his robe pockets.

Alleta faltered for a moment at his harsh tone, but quickly regained her composure. "I don't care about it, I'm just saying, have some basic respect and go somewhere private. Your siblings don't need to see that."

"Yeah, because it's my siblings that you're so worried about."

Raising an eyebrow, she took a step closer "What is it then, that I'm so worried about."

"Yourself." He snarled, moving toward her and forcing her to take a step back, closer to the wall. "The way I make you feel."

"That's bullshit."

"Is it?

"Yes. You and I both know that."

At this point, Fred's words came out with little to no hesitation. They were about him. Not her. But he said them anyway, needed to expel his frustrations. "The side glances, Alleta." His eyes narrowed. "The jealous bitching, the flirty touches, i mean really, get a grip." He snarled. "You practically throw yourself at me. Anybody could see it."

Flinching, she stepped back and found herself pressed against the wall, the cold stone being an unwelcome shock, causing her to inhale sharply.

"It's pathetic. You're pathetic." Despite his words being slurred, they stung. That much was evident from the stricken look on her face.

"Fuck you, Weasley." Alleta spat, her breathing growing heavy. She was not pathetic. He was just drunk. That's it. That must be it. There wasn't another explanation for his behaviour. This wasn't her Fred. And apparently she was no longer Lettie.

Leaning her head back, she held her breath, watching while he bent down; his lips brushing against her ear, and sending hot shivers down her spine. "No, no I don't think you ever will." The venom in his words stuck her heart and she glared in attempt to disguise her hurt.

Their bodies brushed together in the close proximity, pressing against one another. Fred moved one hand to press up to the wall on the left side of her head; pinning her in. "I suggest, Blake, that next time you see me with Angelina. Kissing her." His other hand moved to caress his fingers down her cheek. "Touching her." They trailed along her exposed collarbone, moving down her side and stroking her hip. "Fucking her." His lips grazed over hers, a nasty smirk tugging at them. "You leave." The last words were blunt and bored, a far cry from the ones just before. Fred's hooded eyes didn't leave her face as their foreheads came in contact, with lips barely touching.

"Fuck you." Alleta repeated, though her voice was quiet, it was also furious. The rational part of her mind screaming to shove him away, to tell him not to touch or go near her again, and yet-

He cupped both of her cheeks, pulling her into a fierce kiss; one hand moving behind her to tangle in her hair. Her thoughts became a jumble of in concise nonsense, unable to string one or more together. Before Alleta could talk herself out of it, listing all the pros and cons, she wrapped her arms up and around his neck, kissing him back.

"You're a fucking idiot." Fred sneered into the kiss. He moved his lips to kiss her jaw, nibbling further down her neck and finding where she was most sensitive, leaving light marks as he went. "I want you, Blake." He placed his hand to cup her thigh as he moved it up to wrap around his waist. Reaching under her dress, he gripped the bare skin lightly and moved closer to her heat, eliciting a moan from Alleta that snapped them both to their senses.

Fred yanked himself back and Alleta watched, still pushed against the wall. Each of them wore a similar expression of horror. She couldn't believe she had let him talk to her like that and then.. and then do that- He actually did that. He went to the ball with another girl- Angelina, no less.. Yet she still let him touch her like that. She felt sick.

"Dont- Don't say anything." She whispered, the smell of alcohol surrounding and overwhelming her. Her eyes fell to the ground as she readjusted her dress, breathing heavily. Alleta reached her hand to her head, groaning at the feeling of a forming headache. The drinks were catching up to her.

Fred had moved a few meters away from her now, staring blankly at the wall where she was still stood. His chest was heaving rapidly and he coughed in order to clear his throat. "This was a mistake." He told her quietly, hesitantly flickering his gaze over to her and making eye contact.

Her heart dropped. Of course it was. It wasn't as though she didn't know that, but hearing him say it- unbridled anger found itself bubbling up, but she swallowed it back down. "Dont talk to me again. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Just- don't." The words hurt her to say, but she forced them out anyway; hurt and enraged.

"No problem there." Fred snapped without hesitation- though the minute they left his mouth, he felt a pang of regret. "I've got a bloody gorgeous girlfriend anyway. And you-" He broke off chuckling "You just don't compare- you would've been a pity fuck anyway."

Narrowing her eyes, Alleta walked toward him, placing both hands on his shoulders to shove him away. "You." She shoved him again. "Complete" Angry tears formed, but she blinked them away. "Arse. Fred Weasley." Taking a step back, she breathed in shakily and turned her back on him, shaking her head.

Fred closed his mouth, looking down. He swallowed the beginning of an apology and simply left. Going back into the Great Hall to find Angelina. He didn't know why he had said what he had- especially given that it wasn't true, but in his drunken, angry state, the words just escaped without much thought. "Shit." He whispered, collapsing into a seat and placing his head in his hands. "Shit."

Alleta staggered back to sit, once again, on the staircase, only taking notice to the fact that everyone else had taken leave. God- had people seen it? She couldn't bear to think so. Hastily wiping the tears that had fallen, she forced her hair back behind her ears and out of her eyes. So much for best mates.

Reaching up, she traced her lips with her thumb. They were tentative to the touch and were nothing but a reminder of the fight. Why had they had to go and ruin everything? "Fuck you." Lettie muttered, picturing him as she buried her face in her lap. "Fuck you."

"Allie?" A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts after what seemed like hours, and she lifted her head, coming face to face with Isla. Squinting her bloodshot eyes, she was barely able to manage a word before her friend hurried to sit beside her, tackling her into a hug. "Jesus Allie, what happened?"

She choked out a sob, simply shaking her head. "Fred's a dick." And he was. Is.

Seemingly catching on, Isla sighed and stroked Alleta's hair, "Let's get you up to the dorm, yeah?" She suggested, helping her up and taking one of her hands.

"I'm sorry love.." Isla whispered, squeezing her hand and leading the other girl up the stairs. She cast a quick look behind her at both Cedric and George. George, who simply tensed and walked back into the hall to find Fred, having heard everything.

The Ravenclaw common room was as warm as ever, the fire having been on all night and keeping it heated. The sofas were navy and cushioned, all welcoming and Alleta simply collapsed into one and laughed. She nudged over, making room for Isla and the two girls sprawled onto it together.

Luckily, all of the younger years had gone up to bed, what with it approaching 12 am. "Weasley can suck my cock." Isla snorted, looking over at Allie, whose dress was spooled around her.

"He's probably already off sucking somebody else's." Alleta whispered between giggles, however they slowly turned to tears as she moved to grab a cushion, hugging it close to her chest.

"Arsehole." Leaning over and pulling Allie so her head rested on her shoulder, Isla grumbled to herself and held her like that. She made a note to get the entire recount the next morning, but for that moment, they both just whispered to each other, eventually falling asleep.

A storm howled outside the tower and snow came down heavier than usual as Christmas day drew to a close.

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	21. chapter twenty

December 26th, 1994  
Boxing Day

The Great Hall was sparse the next morning. Small groups of students were strewn around the room, all in different bundles at the tables. Breakfast had been laid out, yet massively untouched, as most people who had gone downstairs, felt sick or had pounding headaches. Isla and Alleta had gone for the sole purpose of orange juice and coffee as they were wildly exhausted and both slightly hungover. Especially given that Allie had been in tears quite a bit the previous night.

"Don't look at him. Look at me." Isla whispered, moving to the side slightly and purposely blocking Alleta's sightline. "It isn't worth losing your dignity over, understand me?" Reaching over, she placed her hand on top of the other's and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. 

"You say that as if I have any left." Her voice was hoarse from a night of crying, before she cleared her throat and sat up straighter. Though what she sounded like certainly would not be the revealing fact that she'd had a bad night. Running her fingers through her knotted, wet hair, she yawned and pulled the sleeves of her big woollen jumper over her hands. The two girls had gone down for breakfast almost as soon as they had woken up. Well, after going back to their dorm to actually change from their dresses and wash, having slept on the common room couches.

Barely anybody else was down in the Great Hall; most students presumably nursing a hangover, and one much worse than either Alleta's or Isla's own ones. Over on the Slytherin table sat Adrian Pucey, Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott, with a few beauxbaton students, all of whom were grumbling and barely able to speak above a whisper. If it weren't for the Gryffindor table being in the way of them, Alleta likely would have spent the morning laughing about them, trying to get herself to cheer up. But no. Because, at that table, sat Fred Weasley with Lee Jordan and a few students from fourth and fifth year. 

She said sat. Yet it was not a largely accurate description of what the boy was doing. From the moment he had entered and sat down, Fred had rested his arms and forehead on the table, seemingly refusing to look up. Allie, on the other hand, had been unable to draw her eyes from him, despite the way her chest ached almost emptily at the sight. The absolute tosser. 

Watching her, Isla frowned while taking a bite of plain buttered toast. It was an extraordinarily underwhelming boxing day breakfast, but she supposed there were bigger things to worry about than food. That is, if she was able to get the full story of what happened last night from Alleta. Alleta, who had barely spoken of the event, simply granting uninspiring grunts at the mention.

Maybe now she'd had some coffee, she would be more willing to open up about it. Isla knew it would be hard, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to help her if she didn't talk. Exhaling slightly, she shook her head and began to talk. "Allie, tell me what happened. Please." Isla furrowed her brows, looking at her. Alleta was sat opposite her, in black joggers, a big, green jumper, and with hair that dripped droplets of water down her back. Not the best idea for winter, but she was too hungry and refused to dry her hair before going down the stairs. Her face was pale and blotchy, with bags under the eyes. "You look a mess, you know that right?" Her words were teasing, as she knew that was how Alleta worked best, while she tapped her shin lightly under the table.

"We kissed." Alleta blurted out, glaring in his direction and inhaling deeply. "I saw him practically shagging Angelina, and I- I don't understand why, but I got upset. So I moved to leave the hall, needing air, but knocked over a drink. I guess he must have seen me, because as I made it outside, so did he. We got into an argument and he called me pathetic. But as we argued, he ended up pressing me against the wall and then we snogged." The words rushed out before she could stop or filter them. "But then he shoved himself off, said it was a mistake and I told him not to say anything. He then said I would have just been a pity fuck. He left. I cried. You found me." 

"A pity fuck?" Isla tensed, her jaw rigid, as she cast a glance behind her shoulder, and at the Gryffindor boy; who still had his head on the table, possibly sleeping. Who cares. "You would have been doing charity work if you shagged." Her words were blunt, and she turned back to look at her friend. She wasn't going to interrogate her on her feelings for Fred, assuming that it would only dredge up nasty memories now. All she could focus on was how uncharacteristic it was that Fred would say such things. The kissing didn't surprise her, but the way in which it happened, absolutely did. 

Alleta groaned and moved the palms of her hands to press against her forehead. "I told him not to talk to me again. And then he just- he left."

"Well, if he'd argued with you about that, I would have been more concerned. Mixed signals, who?" 

"Mixed signals you." Cedric came up behind Isla and shot Alleta a winning smile as he took a seat. "I see Weasley looking like the picture of misery over there." He motioned with his head, in the direction of the Gryffindor lot; where Alleta had actually just been staring. 

Isla nudged him harshly and shot a glare, tensing up. "Read the room dumbass." 

Taking in Alleta's rocky appearance, Cedric winced. "Sorry Al"

"It's fine. You weren't exactly wrong." She offered up a small smile and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about ditching you last night by the way. I didn't really think- What I mean is that I got caught up in stuff that happened and lost my thoughts. Dick move." 

"You're absolutely fine. I get it." He reassured her. "Obviously, I don't know what exactly happened, but I've a rough idea. It's not you I blame." Alleta opened her mouth, about to defend Fred on instinct, before stopping. No.

"Exactly! But I propose that we leave this topic for now. We barely did anything for Christmas, we spent all day getting ready." Isla interrupted. "I suggest the three of us get changed and go out into the snow. Come back later, sneak into the kitchens, and get hot chocolates."

"Wait-" Alleta looked at her with narrowed eyes. "You know how to sneak into the kitchens? I swear only Hufflepuffs do. Cedric" She threw a pointed look at her ex, who sheepishly ruffled his hair and avoided eye contact. "Always refused to tell me how. Said it was a house secret or something."

"It was- is." He grinned. "But when we were together, you couldn't keep your mouth shut for the life of you."

"Not true!" Alleta scoffed, though cracked a slight grin. It was true. Though she had gotten better at it, she used to struggle keeping secrets; telling her dorm mates anything, almost as soon as she heard. She was worse than Felicity and Tessa. So it was a fair defence on Cedric's behalf.

"Liar liar." He taunted, yet his attention turned to Isla. "How do you know about the kitchens though? Do we have a traitor amongst the badgers?

Hesitating, Isla shrugged "Bold of you to assume that someone from the stereo typically smart house couldn't figure out how to get into the kitchens. I mean really, it shouldn't be hard."

"And did you?" Allie tilted her head.

"Did I what?"

"Figure it out?"

"Oh, no. No, A guy I had a thing with briefly last year snuck us in there to- well, that part is irrelevant." Isla smirked. "We didn't go back there together, but I've been a few times here and there. It's cosy."

"What's cosy?"

The small group looked up, in sync with one another, only to see George. He shuffled from one foot to another, clearly awkward. His gaze focused on Alleta, who was studiously avoiding it. It having nothing to do with George himself, but who he looked like. Fred. Fred who, supposedly having heard his twin, was looking over in their direction.

Both he and Alleta glanced at each other within the same moment, tensing too. Her breath caught in her throat, as the edges of Fred's lips listed up into a small, apologetic smile. Finding that she was unable to look away, Alleta didn't return the smile, but simply stared at him; her features, a mixture of cold, hurt and anger.

"Oi Weasley." Someone called from down the Gryffindor table, forcing him to turn away from her. "Two girls in one night? Didn't know you had it in you." This was followed by multiple jeers and snickers from the 7th years. "Shag one of 'em in the ball and then another out by the staircase?"

Alleta's chest numbed, her vision blurring as she quickly and hastily averted her gaze, going back to picking at her breakfast. Her appetite was entirely gone, instead, replaced by uneasy nausea, waiting for Fred to stand up for himself. for her. Hell, for Angelina. But he did not. Or at least, not with something she could hear, though she didn't look at him again. "I'm going to run up to the dorm and grab our coats Isla, I'll see you lot outside in 10." Leaning over the table slightly, she squeezed George's arm, letting him know it wasn't him she was mad at. How could she be? It wouldn't make sense.

After she left, George walked around the table and sat across from Cedric and Isla, both of whom's expressions twisted with irritation. "Fred really did a number on her, huh." Cedric muttered, the only one of the three who hadn't heard the entire story regarding the situation. 

Having gone back into the Great hall once Isla had taken Alleta upstairs, George found Fred, who lunged toward him, grabbed his arms and began slurring utter nonsense. Yet, from those words, he had managed to form a vague idea of what had happened, and Fred wasn't looking too favourable. Even from his point of view. 

"I'm not sure what he was hoping to achieve in saying what he did." Isla frowned.

Making a noise of acknowledgement, George grabbed a piece of toast from Alleta's abandoned plate, taking a large bite from it. As he chewed, he spoke. "I don't think Fred was really considering the consequences." He paused to swallow. "I'm not defending him, but he was drunk and his mind had probably been fucked up after the kiss. Especially given how he had also been with Angelina practically moments before." Noticing the shared look of indignation between Cedric and Isla, he hurried to continue. "What I mean is that there are two girls, both of whom he must feel something for, even if he isn't sure what. He acted out, is all."

"Okay but he said she would have been a pity fuck. As if Allie needs his pity? It's pathetic." 

Snapping his head over to Isla, Cedric tensed his jaw. "He said what?"

"She would have been a pity fuck, that she was pathetic, throwing herself at him, etc.." The dark haired girl turned her head to glare behind her as she spoke. 

"No wonder she looked shattered last night. Al looks at him like he's a bloody God or something. She might not know how she feels about him, but whatever it is, it definitely didn't let her just brush off his remarks." Cedric muttered. The fact nobody had called Fred out to his face, for his shit was ridiculous and he had half a mind to do so himself.

"He's probably feeling shitty today anyway. There's no way that he doesn't know Alleta won't give him the time of day if he tried to talk to her- would she?" 

"Would he even care?" 

"Who knows." 

Having sat beside them, listening, George sighed and stood. "I'm going to go check up on him. Figure out how he's feeling about this entire thing. We've barely spoken today. He was still passed out on the bed by the time I was leaving."

"Deck him." Isla winked, shooting him a tired grin, one that he returned with ease. 

"Not likely. I'll see you later." 

Watching him go, with a small smile, Isla turned to look at the Gryffindor table once more, only to see that Fred was now gone. Marvellous. It unsettled her, however, she brushed it off and both her and Cedric engaged in a conversation about what their families had gotten them for Christmas, with Isla mentioning how she would be heading home for a couple days before the end of the break. Seeing as the Yule Ball was on Christmas Day, plenty of students had decided to remain at school, so Dumbledore was allowing them a trip home between the 26th and the 5th, which was the day before school would resume.

In the Ravenclaw dorms, Alleta was doing just that. She had briefly scrawled a note to her mum, letting her know that she would be staying with them for a couple days, arriving on the 28th. While it had been mostly influenced by how both her and Fred had acted the previous night, part of her missed her parents drastically. She had always felt guilty for going to a boarding school in Scotland, like Cassie, her sister. As they left them alone for the most part of the year and as far as she knew, her parents didn't do much in regards to the social aspect of life. They had each other. And for them, that was enough. 

Cassie, however, never questioned her decision to attend Hogwarts. Being muggle borns, the entire concept of magic was foreign and of fairy tale similarities to them, until Cassie was 11, and Alleta, 8. The minute they were told that Cassie was a witch, they had been unable to contain their excitement. Yet, Alleta's doubts about magic had begun to form when she realised there was every chance that Cassie was a fluke; an anomaly, and that she may not be magical, herself. because of this, she had begun to plan out what her life would be like as a muggle teenager. Taking GCSE's and then onto A-Levels. 

It was, presumably because of this, that Allie sometimes doubted herself and her position at Hogwarts; sometimes wondering whether or not it would have been better for her to stay at home and live with her parents. 

Grabbing both her coat and Isla's, she picked up the note, clutching it in her hands. The wax seals that they sometimes used in school, had really shocked her dad, in particular. She could still remember his reaction to getting Cassie's first letter, when he realised that it wasn't just the acceptance letter trying to look fancy. Alleta had been sat beside her dad while he wrote out his reply, and most of it had been in complete wonder and awe of magic. From what Fred and George had told her about their family, he seemed similar to Arthur Weasley, who was apparently intrigued with muggles and their way of life.

The two of them would probably get along very well, she mused.

Before she left the room, she threw her hair -which was mostly dried- up into a high ponytail. She made sure to pick up their scarves, as it had been snowing very heavily throughout the night, and the past few weeks. The snow at Christmas, to Alleta, was far more magical than magic itself. Not many of her friends understood what she meant by that. But there was something about the feeling that came with snow that she adored.

"Letter, scarves, coats-" As she hurried down the spiral stairs of the tower, she quietly muttered a list of things she had needed to grab, which she currently had in her hands. In general, Alleta could be quiet the forgetful person, so holding out her hands and counting on her fingers as she made lists, tended to help her stay organised. "Pop to the owlery before snow." She added, walking through the halls, thankful nobody was around as they would hear her talking to herself; something many knew she did, despite her attempt to keep it under wraps. Though, realistically, who didn't talk to themselves when alone? Those were often the best conversations she would have.

"Lettie."

She stopped. Her heart dropped. Not again. God, please not again. She couldn't deal with him, not after being able to wipe him from her mind, at least, momentarily. He'd lead to a relapse. 

Refusing to make eye contact with the person she knew it full well to be, Alleta continued walking, yet her pace sped up. It was hopeless, given Fred's height and the length at which his legs were; making it obnoxiously easy for him to catch up to somebody, even i they were deliberately trying to lose him.

"Lettie, wait- please. I need to talk to you."

Still, she ignored him. Willpower, Alleta. She repeated in her mind, again and again. She could hear a quite "Fuck." And sigh of frustration, yet chose not to acknowledge it. It wasn't worth it. Not that she should really be ignoring the use of Lettie. Alleta last night and now he was trying to get back to their old ways. No. She refused to let that happen.

"Stop walking Lettie, bloody hell. Just hear me out. Please." 

"You have got to be kidding?" Alleta snapped, turning around the face him, almost recoiling when she realised how close to one another they were standing. She was right in that he would be able to catch her up. He practically had already.

"Hear me ou-"

"If you say 'hear me out' I swear on my magic that you will regret it." She glared up at him, defensively folding her arms across her chest. Being so near him was uncomfortable and tense, given how it ended the last time.

"I was drunk and confused and Angelina- and then you- and you were there- Fuck, Lettie, I didn't mean what I said. How could I? You're all I wou-" Fred cut himself off abruptly, hesitantly reaching out, his fingers grazing her cheek. But at the touch, Alleta flinched back, shaking her head and he was unable to mask his expression. He knew he had messed up. Royally fucked up, really. His head was- is, jumbled and none of his thoughts made sense to him; especially not why he said what he had said to her. She doesn't throw herself at him, not at all. if anything, it was the other way around.

"Don't touch me." The words were blunt and cold, revealing no emotion behind them. 

"Lettie-"

Again, she cut him off, this time, looking up to meet his eyes. "I mean it, Fred. You can't expect everything to be fine and normal. Not after last night, even if you hadn't said what you did and we had just left it after- well, after that. I would have needed time. It's not fair for you to come and talk to me like this. Not when you were a complete, fucking prick. Piss off." Alleta glared at him, her heart racing anxiously, before turning on her heel and walking off.

She needed to get out and into the snow. Hell, she needed to go home. 

-

playlist :

little things- one direction  
paper rings- taylor swift  
i bet that you look good on the dance floor- arctic monkeys  
you said you'd grow old with me- michael schulte  
fire on fire- sam smith  
just the way you are- bruno mars  
heaven's not too far- we three  
lost without you- freya ridings  
arcade- duncan laurence  
take on the world- you me at six  
perfect now- louis tomlinson  
wake me up when september ends- greenday  
all i want- kodaline  
i love you- avril lavigne  
you shouldn't kiss me like this- toby keith  
train wreck- james arthur  
happiest year- jaymes young  
cardigan- taylor swift  
you're beautiful- james blunt  
all of me- john legend


	22. chapter twenty one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi all !  
> sorry for the 2 month hiatus, i simply didn't have the motivation.  
> this is a bit of a filler chapter to get things moving, but there'll definitely be drama coming up, especially given how close the second challenge is ;)  
> enjoy !

December 28th 1994

"You're all set?" Cedric asked, reaching over to place both hands on her shoulders, looking at her intently.

"Yes Ced, I'm packed for a week at my parent's. I think I'll be fine." Alleta teased him, one hand clutching onto the handle of her trunk, with Isla beside her, saying goodbye to George. Both girls were some of the few in their year who had accepted Dumbledore's offer to be sent home for a week after the Yule Ball, to come back on January 5th. After the incident with Fred in the halls, she was only to eager to have a few days to herself, without the risk of running into him again. So, Allie had spent the past 2 days in her dorm with her roommates, by the window and waiting for a letter response from her mum. In doing so, the 5 girls had gorged an absurd amount of sweet treats and christmas goodies. Having left the pit now, she didn't think she would be able to eat anything sugar based again for at least another month. During this time, there had been multiple crying sessions on Alleta's behalf, which meant that now, she was all cried out. It had been quite cathartic, really.

"Shove it, yeah? I just want to know you're alright? Or that you will be." The Hufflepuff whispered as he pulled her into a tight embrace, one hand moving to cup the back of her head.

Alleta rolled her eyes, yet there was a shadow of a smile that found its way across her features. "I'm not gone for long, but I'll write to you. Oh! Want me to bring you back some of those muggle sweets you liked? What were they?" Her words were hurried as she tried to remember what it was that Cedric refused to eat anything but, when he went to visit her in Surrey.

Immediately, his face lit up and he pulled back, gripping her shoulders once more. "Strawberry pencils and those flying saucer sherbet things! I swear I could kiss you right now." He chuckled.

Grimacing and scrunching her nose, she shook her head. "Ugh yes, I remember. I cannot believe you enjoy those flying saucers. They taste like nothing. But fine. I'll bring them back. A late Christmas present of sorts."

"Don't insult them. They're flawless. I'll probably save them until before the second challenge, for good luck and all."

"Have you figured out anymore to do with the egg yet?" She asked, her voice laced with concern. The task would be in February and they were slowly drawing nearer. The fact Cedric was no closer to discovering more about it was beginning to stress her out.

"Not quite- but I'll spend the rest of the break focussing on it, okay? Trust me, I'll figure something out."

"Fine. But if you find anything or need help at all, write me and I'll come back. I'm sure Dumbledore could easily arrange the journey."

"Not at all. Enjoy the time with your family, understood? We'll work on this closer together once you're back. Currently all we've got is the possibility that it involved banshee's, due to the screams. It's something, at the very least." Cedric offered up a smile. "Besides, I have my associates in Ravenclaw aside from you, and I'm rather smart myself. Have a little faith."

Despite his reassurances, Alleta couldn't shake the niggling feeling of doubt in her core. "Faith? In you? Please, that day will never come." She teased, pushing back her feelings and glancing over toward Hogsmeade station, where the Hogwarts express had now entered. "I best be off, I should catch up to Isla or she'll find a compartment without me and I may be stuck around someone like Flint or Malfoy."

"Go go go." Cedric laughed, releasing her from his grasp and shoving her forward gently, watching as she grabbed her trunk from where it rested on the ground.

"Bye then." Allie snarked half heartedly at his sudden shove, but it was quickly replaced with a smile while she began walking backwards. "Don't die!" She called out playfully, a greeting the two of them often used upon being separated for the holidays.

Crookedly smirking, Cedric met her with a shrug "We'll see." He teased, before turning back to find George, who had likely been saying goodbye to Isla, and returning to the castle. He could probably sneak some Quidditch practice in later, so long as Fred wasn't around. The past few days, Cedric had been studiously avoiding the other Weasley twin, solely because he had no idea what he would say to or around him in regards to Allie. How do you treat a friend who was shit to your best mate? He didn't know, but it was probably best to not dwell and just to wait it out. Either way, Cedric had never been the biggest fan of confrontation, so that was very much out of the window. A flash of ginger caught his eye and he beamed at the sight of George, hurrying toward him, he left all thoughts of Fred and Alleta behind.

"Isla! Over here." Alleta called over the heads of first and second years; who had made up the apparent majority of the students going home for the remainder of the holidays. She could see the top of her friend's head, where her braids were pulled back in a ponytail, tied with a Ravenclaw blue ribbon.

The girl turned and the two made imminent eye contact. "Took your time mate." Isla yelled, lightly pushing her way through the bundles. "Honestly, I was starting to stress about having to find a compartment on my own. 6 years and I'm still not confident enough for it. I need my emotional support buddy."

Having rolled her eyes, Alleta reached up, pulling her beanie further down to cover her ears; the tips of which had begun to tinge a vibrant pink from the cold. "I'm here now, no need to get your knickers in a twist." Reaching her, the two girls linked arms as they left their trunks to be loaded onto the train.

"I know Ced's probably already asked for some, but please, please, please bring me back some of that chocolate- bounty? was it?" Isla pleaded with her, while dragging her along and attempting to find an empty compartment.

"You sicken me." Liking bounty should be considered an abomination of humankind, and the only reason Alleta had ever had any in the first place, was because her sister snuck it into her trunk before the summer term of her third year. She had ended up giving it to Isla, who surprisingly, adored it and had asked for it every holiday since.

Feigning a look of naivety, as if she wasn't aware of how disappointed her friend was that she enjoyed the coconut chocolate bar, Isla tugged open a door and the two of them sat opposite one another. "Says the girl who likes liquorice snaps."

"Oh please. They're good, you're just bitter that one nipped your finger that one time."

"It hurt! Far more painful than you would think."

"Doesn't make it okay to enjoy bounty. Out of all muggle chocolate, I'm sorry, I don't condone it. But, because I am such a loving friend, I will indeed buy you some." Grabbing a notebook and pen from the rucksack she had been carrying, Alleta started to jot down a list of things she would be bringing back. Both Isla and Cedric were pureblood, and they didn't often integrate themselves into muggle society, so it quite quickly became common that they would ask her for things. And honestly, she enjoyed sharing muggle creations with them.

Alleta had never been embarrassed or felt bad about being a muggle born, but there was always a sense of doubt around wizards and whether or not they believed in blood supremacy, or even just that muggles could be thick; less intellectually advance. So for her friends to take an interest in the stuff she had grown up around, well, it meant a lot.

Isla lived further down south than Alleta, on the outskirts of St.Ives, Cornwall. It was rather quiet in her area, and easy for the Hayworth's to isolate themselves in and around their manor. She had never actually been to her house, nor met her parents, plainly because they hadn't been on a 'visit-you-over-the-holidays-basis' before this school year. And with Alleta having muggle parents, none of her previous friends from Hogwarts had been to stay with her during the holidays. Cassie had never brought friends back either; both girls being too nervous about their magic around their parents, who, to this day, struggled with the concept of their daughters being witches. Not that they weren't accepting. They absolutely were, just that they simply didn't understand much about them. Neither girls had wanted to complicate things for their parents.

Closing her notebook, Alleta grimaced at the underlying nausea from the movement of the train. She looked up and pressed the back of her head against the patterned seat. More often than not, she liked to sleep to and from school, as she tended to get motion sickness and sleeping prevented her from being too negatively affected. With her eyes shut and all other thoughts pushed to the back of her mind, an image of the familiar redhead resurfaced, though it didn't take her long to blink him away. Not now. She wouldn't deal with that particular issue for as long as she could help it. Especially not while she was at home. As her thoughts grew sluggish and quietened, Alleta slumped down slightly, her head pressed against the window and mouth hanging open.

Before she knew it, she was jolted awake by the ceasing of movement from the train, and immediately, realised they were at kings cross, with Isla across from her, reaching up to pull both of their trunks down. "Evening, sleepyhead." Her mate grinned, clearly having found her sleeping habits amusing. Or, it could have had something to do with the unattractive trail of drool that had dampened part of Alleta's hoodie. Flushing, the Ravenclaw hastily wiped her mouth and stood up, stretching out her arms with a yawn." The main downside to sleeping on the train are the cramps and numbing that accompanies it." She groaned, pulling a face and moving her fingers around in an attempt to return feeling to them, after having slept with them pressed against the side of the compartment. Not a good move. 

Attempting to navigate their way through bustling third and second years, desperate to get home and see their families, the two girls exchanged an eye roll, each of them pushing past by gently guiding the younger years out of the way with a free hand. "I say this every time I come into contact with one of the meddlesome little rats." Isla glared around her; evidently not much of a people or children person. "But were we ever that small and irritating? They're like gnats buzzing in and around your ear, relentless even when you swat them away." Her words were loud, attracting the attention of students around them. Some of whom flushed and scattered away, other sneered up at them and deliberately walked slower. "See?" Isla scoffed, rolling her eyes. "The absolute cheek of them."

Alleta had to admit that she agreed with Isla. Particularly when it came to those below fourth. With each new year, the youngest ones seemed to grow cockier and more full of themselves and really, it was just embarrassing for them and painful for the rest of the years. Amusing herself with her own thoughts as they eventually managed to storm out of the train and onto the platform, inhaling the London air. "Goodbye Scotland." Alleta laughed, liking her arm with Isla's, the other clutching the trunk and leaning to one side. "Now the challenge of trying to find the family begins." Of course, with her family being muggles, she would have to get through the barrier before being able to find them. 

Turning to Isla, she offered a smile and brought her into a quick, one handed hug. "See you in a week. Don't get into too much trouble without me." 

"No promises. How else am I going to entertain myself in the drafty manor I call home." Isla shrugged with a half smirk. "Maybe I'll make my way down to the beach and find a cute muggle boy."

"Mhm, because I'm sure you'll find one of them at the beach in the middle of winter."

"Hey! You never know. You could probably do with getting yourself a rebound that you never have to see again. Get your mind off-"

Cutting her off, Alleta grimaced. "Not necessary. I've barely thought of him since we left the castle. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Write me if you need anything and I'll floo right to yours." Isla told her earnestly and, as much as she appreciated it, Alleta wasn't sure how her parents would feel upon finding out one of her friends could travel through their fireplace at any given moment. "We'll see."

They traded enthusiastic goodbyes, before making their separate ways, Isla having seen her mum further down the platform. 

Moving to the barrier, Alleta braced herself and ran through, greeted with surprised gasps and laughter. Mum and Dad. She grinned, looking at them and shaking her head. They always, without fail, were shocked whenever they saw her appear out of a brick wall. Which, to be entirely fair, she thought was perfectly justified. Even after 6 years, she still struggled to grasp the realities of it. She was torn from her thoughts as her mother pulled her into a warm hug, and her dad took the trunk from her, as the three of them began to walk to the car park.

Her mum always struggled with Alleta and Cassie being at a boarding school, and even with the amount of time she'd had to get used to it, still greeted them with hugs and constant chatter. "How are you darling?" She asked, moving so her arm was wrapped around her. "Did you have a good time at the ball? Did Cedric behave? We must see him again soon, he was such a lovely boy. Much nicer than this Fred. What happened with him? You must fill me in, because I know he ended up taking another girl, I'm sorry about that by the way."

Despite her questions, Alleta knew that she didn't really require answers, at least not yet. She simply wanted to talk to her daughter and understand what had been going on in her life recently. Which was good, because she wasn't sure she would be okay to talk about Fred. Not yet, at least. The thought of what happened was still fresh and caused her to flinch imperceptibly. "I'll tell you all about it later mum." She smiled, resting her head on her shoulder as they reached the car. "I'm shattered."

Receiving an understanding smile, they got into the car and in moments, Alleta yawned, closing her eyes with the intention of sleeping. As mentioned previously, she had never been a good traveller. Always getting motion sickness.

With that, listening to her parents idle chatter and the musings of the BBC radio 2 hosts, she found herself lulled to sleep, curled up in her seat as they began the relatively short drive back to Surrey.


	23. chapter twenty two

December 30th, 1994

"Al, we need some milk!"

The sleep ridden voice of her dad echoed through the house and Alleta grimaced, burying her head in her pillow. She had been home for just over a day and they were already in desperate need of a food shop. It always happened like this. Her parents would forget to stock up on enough food or drink for more than 2 people before she came back from school, and then were surprised when what they currently had would run out. "Why can't you go?" Lifting her head, she yelled back; her words travelling down the stairs. It was far too early to have to get out of bed, let along to be going to the shop.

"Because if you're living under my roof then you have to earn your stay." His jesting tone was evident, yet she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. "Twat." Her words were muttered, followed closely with a string continuous complaints while she wandered around her bedroom, grabbing some clothes. Within moments Alleta was dressed in grey joggers, a black hoodie, her Ravenclaw scarf and trainers. A very minimal effort, unbothered outfit. Pulling a rain jacket on over the top, she trudged downstairs and glared at her dad. "Lazy arse." He simply shrugged, kissed her on the top of the head and handed her some money. "Milk, bread and then get yourself a treat." Alleta raised her brows, grinning in surprise. "But don't tell your mother."

"Of course I wouldn't. She'd have your skin." Chuckling as she made her way to the door, the cold air taking her by surprise the moment the opened it. "Fuck.

"Language!" His voice called after her, while Alleta simply rolled her eyes, grinning as she zipped up her jacket and did a momentary jog on the spot. Within minutes, she was traipsing down the street at a leisurely pace, burying her chin into her navy scarf and pulling the hood of her hoodie over her hair. The money was tucked into her pocket, clutched between her fingers. Humming 'Heroes' by David Bowie under her breath in an attempt to entertain herself and to distract from her own thoughts. It was unsuccessful.

It had been 4 days since she last saw Fred; the longest the two had gone without any form of contact since September. It was odd and unwelcome, and yet a sense of freedom came with it. Alleta felt lighter, at least for the first time after the events at the Yule Ball. "Distance does that, I suppose." She mused aloud, her brow furrowing. It was always an offputting feeling, returning home after months away at a boarding school, especially having her own room. It felt empty and lonely without the incessant chatter of her roommates; Isla in particular. But more than that, to go from being surrounded by her peers all day every day, constantly in bustling common areas and having her friends there whenever she needed them, to a semi-detached house in Worplesdon with nobody but her parents; well, it was isolating. 

Despite this, she certainly was not taking for granted her time at home. It gave her the space she needed to try and get over the freckled Gryffindor. Not that it was all too effective as of yet. As she pictured his face in her mind; the apologetic, unsure smile he had cast at her the morning of Boxing Day, in contrast with the vile things he had said and the detached look in his eyes, it became increasingly difficult to focus anything other than how she would act around him upon her return. She didn't want to confide in either of her parents, as they had little time together as it was, so she didn't feel it fair to burden them with her own problems. And yet, Alleta could feel her emotions gradually building up, the need to talk to somebody was overwhelming.

Lifting her gaze, she could see the small Londis in the distance and immediately picked up her pace, moving to a light jog, desperate to get out of the cold. She didn't want to get her hope up, but it certainly felt cold enough to snow. It was the limbo type of weather; where it wasn't snowing but was cold to the point where your fingers would numb and the harshness of the temperature left your nose and ears stinging.

"Thank fuck." The words left her almost immediately as she opened the door to the little newsagents, the warmth engulfing her. Sniffling, Alleta pulled her hood down and ran a hand through her wind tangled hair, taking a moment to untuck it from her scarf. She yawned briefly and headed directly over to the milk, grabbing the green lidded one for herself and the dodgy blue one her parents preferred. Grimacing as the cold of the bottles stung her fingertips, she grabbed a loaf of bread and a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate. Alleta also found her way to the sweets, grabbing some strawberry pencils and flying saucers for Cedric, along with a couple of bounty chocolate bars for Isla. Making her way to the counter, she fished out the money from her coat pocket and addressed the counter clerk, without glancing up."Could I get a bag please?" 

"Of course, anything el-" The male voice cut himself off , the two making eye contact, both of them hesitating. 

She recognised him, she was sure of it, where from? That was the part she was trying to figure out. And, from the looks of it, so was he. His name? Yeah, that was also unknown to her.

"Wait-" He sounded relieved and she braced herself for the recognition that she would not be able to reciprocate. "Alleta? Alleta Blake?"

And, there it was. Pushing her thoughts aside, Alleta offered her best friendly smile, self consciously tucking her hair behind her ears. Her eyes narrowed minutely at him, taking in his appearance. He had tousled dark hair, green eyes and a dimpled smile. Taller than her too- maybe around 6'1? It was hard to tell, yet his familiarity was unnerving and she was struggling to place his face. Unless- it couldn't be? Surely-

"Callum? Callum Hodkinson?" This time, her grin was real and she released a short breath of laughter. The two had been at primary school together and were as thick as thieves, probably would have stayed so but after year 6 she went up to Hogwarts and he stayed local, going to the popular secondary school in the area. Having only been 11 at the time, there wasn't much of a chance or point to stay in contact and whenever Alleta had gone home for the holidays, she tried to avoid seeing people from her childhood; unwilling to answer the multitudes of questions they tended to have for her. Looking at him, her eyes flickered downwards and then back up, raising a brow.

He mimicked her actions with a grin to match hers. "Didn't you bugger off to that fancy boarding school in Scotland?" He had a nice voice and his hands- well, he was rather attractive in a typical way, something that her complicated feelings to a certain wizard didn't blind her from. 

"Yeah uhm- Gordonstoun." Alleta shrugged with a smile, giving the name of one of the popular schools she had heard of; it was often her go to one to name when a muggle asked her where she went. "Just here for the last days of Christmas, I go back on the 4th." She told him with a shrug, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "How are you, Cal?" The childhood nickname slipping out without thought.

"Alright actually, thanks. A-Levels are killing me." Callum snorted, watching her with a small, steady smile. "What did you end up taking? You were always a bit of a science nerd in primary. Drove me barmy with that space talk." He teased, leaning back against the wall behind him and watching her intently.

Alleta's grew flustered and began wracking her brain for muggle subjects. She couldn't exactly tell him that she took Divination and bloody Potions. Tilting her head and shoving her hands deeper into her coat pockets, she was suddenly aware of her appearance and her cheeks flushed. "Biology, Chemistry and-" She frowned "Latin!" That would work, made sense. Plenty of their spells had Latin origins. Lumos, for example, the spell that cast light from their wands, came from the Latin word literally meaning 'Light.' Really creative of them. Plus she'd had to translate some texts for Ancient Runes class before. An easy bluff.

Callum raised his brows, his grin widening "Bloody hell Al, and I thought I was clever. Still putting me to shame, huh?"

"What about you? Did you end up staying on at sixth form?" She asked, desperate to change the subject, in fear of slipping up and making a mistake in what she told him.

"Yeah actually, I take History, Economics, Maths and Further Maths." At this, Alleta pulled a face without thinking. Maths. The bane of her existence and reason she was most thankful for her education at Hogwarts. Nothing could have convinced her to take Arithmancy as an OWL, let alone a NEWT. "And you said I was the smart one. Funny." Her words were lighthearted as she moved her fingers in front of her; fiddling with them out of nervousness. 

It was still relatively early, especially given the fact it was the day before New Years Eve and the weather was as abysmal as it was, so nobody else was in the shop. The two shifted awkwardly, before Callum began scanning her items. He opened his mouth to say something, and Alleta noticed his slight hesitation, smiling encouragingly. "You grew up rather pretty, if you don't mind me saying." The words spurted out and she blushed darkly, though bit back a teasing remark out of habit. "Not that you weren't always pretty, I mean, I had a bit of a crush on you when we were like ten, I say 'a bit' but it was quite a big one, you were always laughing and teasing me and I don't know, it just happened. I didn't stop liking you until I was maybe twelve, even after you went off to Scotland and we never saw each other, I still thought of you from time to time. We've known each other since we were 3, you know? Nursery and all, so I guess I always used to wonder what we could've been had you stayed and now I'm not sure why I'm still talking so I guess just- what I'm trying to say is, maybe you'd like to grab a coffee before you leave? Like, a date or something? We could start keeping in touch? Call or write, whatever it is that you private school girls do." 

It happened all at once and Alleta simply looked at him in amusement, her eyes widened. He wanted to go on a date with her? Her heart rose in her chest for a fraction, before sinking again and she bit down on her lower lip, an apologetic expression flickering across her features. "Thank you, really, it's sweet of you." She started, her tone uncertain and hesitant, but she could tell from the brief disappointment on his face that he knew what was coming. "But there's this boy at school and- well, no, there isn't a boy, per say, just a complicated situation that I left behind when I came here. I don't know how I feel about him, and we had this massive fight. I'm sorry Callum, I don't think I could go on a date with you." Alleta attempted to explain, leaving out the more complex aspects. "But I would love to get to know you again." She added, offering a small smile and reaching over the counter, poking him lightly. "We could grab a coffee later, if you're free? Hang out as friends?" Honestly, she hoped he would accept her suggestion. It would be nice to have a muggle friend again, especially one from her childhood and away from all the drama that came along with being a part of the Wizarding world.

The two of them made brief eye contact just as Callum looked away, evidently considering her words. He turned to look at her and cast a dimpled grin. "Sure, why not Blake." He nodded and finished bagging her items, taking the money that she had previously placed on the counter. "And hey, some of my mates are throwing a massive New Years Eve party tomorrow night, if you're free, you could tag along for a little while and leave before midnight if you wanted to spend time with your parents." 

Beaming up at him, Alleta nodded, appreciative of his offer. "I would love to, actually. Why don't we head to a cafe when you finish work and we can catch up and figure out the details. It'll give me time to get out of my pyjamas." She snorted, gesturing down to the clumps of clothing that she was currently buried under.

With a crooked smirk, Callum shrugged languidly, making a point of looking over her outfit once more. "I dunno, Al, I'm kind of into it. Marshmallow style has always done it for me." It seemed his exuberant persona had lasted from their childhood and Alleta rolled her eyes, grabbing both her change and the plastic bag. "I get off at 2, do you want to meet me back here around 3? That gives you 4 hours to untangle yourself from the clothes."

"Sounds like a plan. We can figure the rest out later." Alleta made sure the change was secure in her pocket and looked back at him once more, before she began to head out of the shop, already filled with dread at the prospect of having to brave the winter chill. "It was nice seeing you again Callum." She told him sincerely, smiling as his eyes brightened.

"You too, Lettie."

The wink that accompanied the all too familiar nickname was friendly enough, but for a long while, Alleta had forgotten it was Callum that called her Lettie throughout their childhood. She had grown used to it only being said by- Fred. 

Having faltered and nearly bumped into the door, she nodded, though her smile weakened and face paled as she hurried back out into the street.

She hated, hated, the fact that Fred had so much power over her. First, she had completely lost all sense of self control on the night of the Yule Ball and allowed him to touch her like he did, even after his cruel words, then she had let herself wallow in her own pity for days after, only now to turn own a perfectly lovely and attractive boy in favour of her conflicted feelings, and have the once adored nickname, associated with negatives.

Alleta scowled her entire way home, muttering under her breath and kicking at the gravel beneath her shoes. Fucking Fred fucking Weasley. Isla would most definitely not be impressed by her actions today, especially once she told her about the run in with Callum. Not that she could blame her, she certainly was not impressed with herself. 

"Got your milk dad." She shouted immediately once walking into the entryway of their home and shutting the door behind her. "I'm going to get dressed in a bit, I'm meeting up with a mate." Alleta placed the bag down on the kitchen counter, handing her dad the two milk bottles to put in the fridge, while shoving the chocolate bar in her pocket and the bread beside the toaster. 

"Which friend?" He narrowed his eyes, turning to boil the kettle; presumably to make a coffee. 

"Remember Callum? Callum Hodkinson?"

"Of course! Lovely kid, works at the Londis now, you know. You two were best friends for years until you grew into your witchy little self." He kissed the top of her head, reaching above her to grab the coffee pot down from the cupboard.

"No shit." Alleta laughed "I went to the Londis for this stuff, bumped into him when I was checking out, we chatted for a bit and then agreed to go grab a drink." She intentionally decided against mentioning the fact he had asked her on a date first, knowing her mum, who was heavily against Fred, would hear about it and insist Alleta let Callum take her out. "Oh, and he's invited me to a party with some of his school mates tomorrow. Is it alright if I go? I'll be home before midnight, so I can spend New Years with you and mum." Over the years, Alleta had learnt that the best way to get her parents to agree to something from the get go, was to offer a compromise at the start, making her request seem far more reasonable. 

"I'll talk to mum, but I can't see why not. Just no-"

"Drugs." She filled in, grinning. Her dad had always been okay with her drinking a little at parties, especially once she turned 16, but had a strict no drug rule. Which was fair enough, and she had never broken it, nor did she intend to.

"Good. Now go put the chocolate upstairs. Mum's on her annual post-christmas diet but she'll pounce on you the minute she knows you have something sugary. She went out for breakfast this morning with Jane from next door and hasn't come back yet, so you can just go chill out for a bit. I'll be down here watching the telly if you need me."

"Alright, cheers." Smirking, Alleta grabbed the coffee he had just made, while his back was turned, and made her way up to her room, yawning. Placing it down on her desk, she pulled off her jacket and glared at her trunk; which she hadn't bothered on unpacking properly. The worst part about a social event was no doubt choosing what to wear. And that was another bonus of having her dorm mates. Isla was brilliant with clothes and, while Alleta liked feeling good in her outfits, never had any idea how to put them together.

Sighing, she turned her back on them for now and moved to sit at her desk, pulling out some Ancient Runes homework and parchment. She had plenty of time before she had to go, so would probably throw something together last minute. May as well be productive and get the homework down, while writing the promised letters to Isla and Cedric, maybe one to George too, just to let him know she wasn't doing too badly.

Alleta turned on her light and began scrawling, using a muggle pen, blocking out her surroundings, thankful for the distraction.


End file.
